Understanding Theseus’ Ship
Minute Musings №4: A Paradox on Personal Identity and Change
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The paradox of Theseus’ Ship is a thought experiment that reflects on the idea of change, the nature of entities and their persistence over time. It goes a little something like this:
Theseus, King of Athens, once had a ship. After each voyage, he would have to replace one of the old, decayed planks on his ship with a new one. Over time, all the planks on his ship had been replaced — none of the original planks remained.
Is Theseus’ ship still the same ship?
Theseus’ Ship is a thought experiment that should be understood as a simple metaphor for the human condition.
Physically, we are seemingly in constant change — cells die, and new ones are born again. Our bodies, or ‘ships’, undergo a ceaseless cycle of death and rebirth. Each new cell that forms, and each new experience that we imprint within us can be directly related to the new ships on Theseus’ ship — our physical forms are altered, yet our self remains intact.
Yet, despite these minuscule changes our perception of self remains consistent and we identify ourselves as the same. Neuroscientist David…
