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vichu | 2 years ago

I viewed those questions as a play on the Ship of Theseus.

If the ship is completely destroyed and a perfect replica rebuilt elsewhere, is it the same ship? Almost certainly not.

If the ship is slowly replaced over time, is it the same ship? As a matter of form or psychological continuity as posited in the question, almost certainly.

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sunaurus|2 years ago

Why do you think those two questions have different answers? For me, the only logical option is that both questions must have the same answer (regardless of what your answer is).

vichu|2 years ago

I don't follow your logic. How would constructing a new ship from new materials ever count as being the same as the original ship?

At least in the Ship of Theseus paradox, there is the case where you take the old replaced parts and construct a ship from those parts - which is an interesting question, is it the original ship? In this case, the only thing consistent about the ship is the design. Take mass manufactured goods then - are they the same article because the have the same materials?