Chapter 01 of 5
The Docks of Athens
Examine the foundational paradox of gradual replacement and persistence.
- Ancient Origin
The Hero's Vessel
After Theseus defeated the Minotaur, his thirty-oared galley was preserved by the Athenians for centuries.
- Historical Practice
The Maintenance Loop
To keep the ship seaworthy, workers replaced old, rotting planks with fresh, strong timber one at a time.
- Philosophical Birth
Plutarch's Query
The Greek historian Plutarch posed a radical question: if every part is replaced, is it still the same ship?
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
According to the Ship of Theseus paradox, why did the Athenians replace the planks of the ship?
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⛵ The Ship of Theseus: The Paradox of Identity
- 01The Docks of AthensExamine the foundational paradox of gradual replacement and persistence.
- 02The Scavenger's DilemmaHobbes introduces a second ship built from the discarded original planks.
- 03The Biological ShipApply the paradox to the human body and the constant cycle of cellular death.
- 04The Teletransporter ParadoxA deep dive into Parfit’s experiment on digital replication and destruction.
- 05The Narrative EgoSynthesizing the paradox into theories of psychological and legal identity.