The “Ship of Theseus” is a philosophical thought experiment dating from the Ancient Greeks, and if you give it a minute, it might blow your mind. Writers such as the first-century essayist Plutarch construed the puzzle like this: imagine that the famed hero Theseus brought his ship home safely, and it was preserved for the Greeks to admire as part of their culture. Well, year after year, the ship began to decay, but the Greeks made certain to rebuild each broken element and replace it as that happened. After so many years, not a single original piece of the ship Theseus brought back remained. The question for us is: is it the same ship?
The podcast “Stuff to Blow Your Mind” featured this topic on August 21, 2018.
The podcast “Stuff to Blow Your Mind” featured this topic on August 21, 2018.
Source(s): Carr, K.E., “Ancient Greek Ships and Sailing,” Quatr.us study guides, July 18, 2017. Web Nov 2019.
