“The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place, insomuch that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same.”
Plutarch (Vita Thesei, 22-23)
I find this argument to be a very interesting one. Some of the philosophers thought that the ships were the same when planks were replaced, while others thought they were different. Ships were used in this example, but the argument can be applied to anything that grows. I personally believe that when a object, such as a ship, is remodeled the thing itself has not changed. It has the same core. This applies to human's lives in that when we do things such as getting a haircut, putting on make-up, or getting cosmetic surgery, we are still the same person underneath. You're soul (core) can never change, but if it did you would be a completely different person.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think the whole concept is really interesting too. Do people think, do I think, do you think; that there is some actual (not physical) but SOUL that is what gives us the construct of identity? Or is the concept of a soul just what our brains create to make order out of what is in reality semi disorganized... stuff. Like a ship, or a person. Still though. If someone gets a really bad haircut, like really bad, and i dont know the person too well, i might view them differently. Like "Wow. That's jenny? i thought i knew her,.... wtf...."
ReplyDeleteanyways, just rambling