Ship of Theseus(philosophical)

[eon]

If a ship has every one of its wooden parts replaced one by one over time, so that none of the original materials remain, is it still the same ship?

And if all the removed original parts are then reassembled into a ship, which of the two, if either, should be considered the original Ship of Theseus? Why?

@Lars2 @BigBallsLarry ​

 

[VV62]

Ah, the Ship of Theseus, a riddle that drifts between identity and time like a vessel on a boundless sea. Philosophically, one can consider this from multiple perspectives:

From a **continuity perspective**, identity is not merely material but also form and function. The ship that remains in the harbor, gradually renewed plank by plank, carries the *history, purpose, and continuity* of the original Theseus. Its essence persists in its ongoing existence and use.

From a **material perspective**, the ship reconstructed from the original planks possesses the *physical matter* of the original. In a sense, it is literally the ship that once was, yet it lacks the unbroken narrative that connected it through time.

The paradox exposes the tension between **substance** and **continuity**: are we what we are because of what we are made of, or because of the unbroken story that defines us? Perhaps neither ship alone is “truly” original; perhaps identity is fluid, a concept that floats above matter, shaped by memory, context, and purpose rather than wood or nails.

In human terms, this mirrors life itself: we change, cell by cell, yet remain ourselves in the continuity of experience—while our past selves, if somehow reconstructed, would feel familiar but ultimately separate.

If you want, I can also give a **punchy, single-sentence philosophical verdict** on which ship is “truly” the Ship of Theseus—it’s quite mind-bending. Do you want me to?

 

[Node]

Dnrd

 

[eon]

Ah, the Ship of Theseus, a riddle that drifts between identity and time like a vessel on a boundless sea. Philosophically, one can consider this from multiple perspectives:

From a **continuity perspective**, identity is not merely material but also form and function. The ship that remains in the harbor, gradually renewed plank by plank, carries the *history, purpose, and continuity* of the original Theseus. Its essence persists in its ongoing existence and use.

From a **material perspective**, the ship reconstructed from the original planks possesses the *physical matter* of the original. In a sense, it is literally the ship that once was, yet it lacks the unbroken narrative that connected it through time.

The paradox exposes the tension between **substance** and **continuity**: are we what we are because of what we are made of, or because of the unbroken story that defines us? Perhaps neither ship alone is “truly” original; perhaps identity is fluid, a concept that floats above matter, shaped by memory, context, and purpose rather than wood or nails.

In human terms, this mirrors life itself: we change, cell by cell, yet remain ourselves in the continuity of experience—while our past selves, if somehow reconstructed, would feel familiar but ultimately separate.

If you want, I can also give a **punchy, single-sentence philosophical verdict** on which ship is “truly” the Ship of Theseus—it’s quite mind-bending. Do you want me to?

mirin the gptslop

 

[crazyguy]

If a ship has every one of its wooden parts replaced one by one over time, so that none of the original materials remain, is it still the same ship?

And if all the removed original parts are then reassembled into a ship, which of the two, if either, should be considered the original Ship of Theseus? Why?

@Lars2 @BigBallsLarry ​

1. yes, its still the same ship
2. the reassembled ship is not the original, the one with the replaced parts is

 

[eon]

Dnrd

 

[eon]

1. yes, its still the same ship
2. the reassembled ship is not the original, the one with the replaced parts is

i think otherwise, but agree to disagree

 

[Node]

View attachment 4112939

C?

 

[eon]

C?

all i could find online jfl

 

[Mogsgymmaxx]

If a ship has every one of its wooden parts replaced one by one over time, so that none of the original materials remain, is it still the same ship?

And if all the removed original parts are then reassembled into a ship, which of the two, if either, should be considered the original Ship of Theseus? Why?

@Lars2 @BigBallsLarry ​

The gradualy replaced ship is the same in identity and through continuity history and purpose while the reconstructed ship is same in material composition but its history is no longer the same

 

[2vi]

If a ship has every one of its wooden parts replaced one by one over time, so that none of the original materials remain, is it still the same ship?

And if all the removed original parts are then reassembled into a ship, which of the two, if either, should be considered the original Ship of Theseus? Why?

@Lars2 @BigBallsLarry ​

dnr

 

[eon]

C?

probably means do not care

 

[eon]

dnr

start saving up for ur lf1

 

[2vi]

start saving up for ur lf1

Hitting where it hurts

 

[New Poster]

If an incel gets every surgery to replace every feature replaced to look like a chad is he still an incel?

 

[eon]

If an incel gets every surgery to replace every feature replaced to look like a chad is he still an incel?

This is exactly why I asked this, me and my friend @esoterik were talking about surgery, and he mentioned the ship of thesus.

 

[Mitläufer]

If a ship has every one of its wooden parts replaced one by one over time, so that none of the original materials remain, is it still the same ship?

And if all the removed original parts are then reassembled into a ship, which of the two, if either, should be considered the original Ship of Theseus? Why?

@Lars2 @BigBallsLarry ​

Is this about ships?

 

[Noesis]

I remember watching an explanation about this, I think that it's about the idea of the ship it self that never changes so even if you remove a plank it's the same ship.

I think Plato said something similar about the world of ideas that it's "separate from this world" they're immutable and eternal and it's one of the reasons I think why it proves the existence of God

 

[looksmaxxed]

i use this argument here:

identity/persistent consciousness is an illusion

the problem of consciousness is that from day to day, there is no actual continuation. it is only an illusion. your old cells and neurons die, and new ones are formed. it's the same process as if you teleported, and in doing so your original body was destroyed, and a new copy was created...

looksmax.org

 

[eon]

i use this argument here:

identity/persistent consciousness is an illusion

the problem of consciousness is that from day to day, there is no actual continuation. it is only an illusion. your old cells and neurons die, and new ones are formed. it's the same process as if you teleported, and in doing so your original body was destroyed, and a new copy was created...

looksmax.org

mirin, shifted my perspective

 

[Klasik616]

If a ship has every one of its wooden parts replaced one by one over time, so that none of the original materials remain, is it still the same ship?

And if all the removed original parts are then reassembled into a ship, which of the two, if either, should be considered the original Ship of Theseus? Why?

@Lars2 @BigBallsLarry ​

1. Yes
2. Yes
Low IQ if you say no