Debate Games.

[Banefull]

Originally Posted by Woodsprite

Maybe the original parts were all exchanged over time, but the ship still belongs to Theseus... assuming we're in ancient times. Are we talking about the time during Theseus' life, or after he has passed on?

The "Ship of Theseus" is merely the name of the vessel. It may or may not actually belong to Theseus.

Originally Posted by Human No More

If the underlying design is the same and it wasn't replaced all at once (which would make it a rebuilt version), then yes. After all, most cities have few to none of the original buildings that stood when they were founded.

So it depends on the replacement parts as to whether it is still the same ship? At what point does a change in the ship's underlying design still make it the same? Take a more modern example of a car. I can make a small change by replacing the paintjob. I could make a bigger change by replacing the wheels with skiis. I could make a very large change by replacing the doors with wings so it could fly. Can you really say that there is a cut-off point in how "different" the replacement parts are?

I am not convinced, rather, I think that the ship is no longer the same ship once every part has been replaced. Think of a corporation. It can be founded by a group of young visionaries but once they die off over time and are replaced by new personnel, I don't think it is really the same corporation. It may be called the same name but it would be appropiate to consider it as a completely seperate entity.