The Ship of Theseus

“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.

Being Stubborn vs Logical

Over the last couple of classes we talked about how certain people guard there beliefs. I believe that there are two types of people in the world: those who are stubborn vs. those who are more passive, logical arguers. Stubborn people will present there argument in whichever way they feel is right. Logical people will take the time to figure out which is the most reasonable part of an argument. Unfortunately I feel that in most arguments, logic does not win out. I think that more times than not the person who is the most stubborn and holds there belief to be 100% true will win the argument.