Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Mahaprajnaparamitashastra', 'A Survey of Metaphysics' and 'Is Hume's Principle analytic?'

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3 ideas

9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 9. Ship of Theseus
If old parts are stored and then appropriated, they are no longer part of the original (which is the renovated ship). [Lowe]
     Full Idea: The parts of a ship in a warehouse belong to no ship at all, ..and once they are appropriated by another ship they cease to be parts of the original, ..so it seems that the renovated ship (not the reconstruction) is identified with the original.
     From: E.J. Lowe (A Survey of Metaphysics [2002], p.31)
     A reaction: The parts in the warehouse could belong to the original (they might even labelled), but assigning them to a new ship does indeed look like a crucial break in the continuity.
If 5% replacement preserves a ship, we can replace 4% and 4% again, and still retain the ship [Lowe]
     Full Idea: If we say that up to 5% of a ship's parts can be replaced without the ship ceasing to exist, we could replace 4% and then 4% again, and it would retain its identity, if identity is transitive.
     From: E.J. Lowe (A Survey of Metaphysics [2002], p.26)
     A reaction: One suspected that all attempts at precision with the ship of Theseus were doomed, but this nicely demonstrates it.
A renovation or a reconstruction of an original ship would be accepted, as long as the other one didn't exist [Lowe]
     Full Idea: If a ship is renovated without reconstruction of original parts, we happily identify the renovation with the original; if there was a reconstruction without the renovated version, we would identify the reconstruction with the original.
     From: E.J. Lowe (A Survey of Metaphysics [2002], p.27)
     A reaction: This really shakes our belief in identity as a natural rather than mental phenomenon. The existence of clones undermines our normal idea of personal identity.