Posted by alexandra_k on August 21, 2005, at 16:49:21
In reply to Re: I » Dinah, posted by alexandra_k on August 21, 2005, at 16:43:26
The Ship of Thesus
(from memory so probably a bit inaccurate)
There is a ship. The ship of Thesus :-)
The ship of Thesus was blessed by the Gods.
It has legal rights to dock at a particular port.The ship needs some repairs. They replace some of the boards. Over time... They replace every componant of the ship.
Is the ship they end up with still the ship of Thesus? The one that was blessed by the gods? The one with docking rights? Physically there isn't a single componant in common between the original ship of thesus and the ship in its present state...
Lets now say that every board, every componant that was replaced was saved... And then lets say that they are put together again. The ship is reassembled
Is this ship the ship of Thesus? The one that was blessed by the gods? The one with docking rights?
Its a little bit like 'how many grains of sand makes a heap?'
(I'm tempted to say 3 but I guess that defeats the purpose...)The notion is that a difference in degree constitutes a difference in kind.
Necessary and sufficient condition that.
Hrm.
Necessary and sufficient conditions need to be suitably abstract is all....But with respect to which ship is the real ship of Thesus... I guess most people think there isn't really an answer to that...
poster:alexandra_k
thread:543244
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050813/msgs/544884.html