From @gate.demon.co.uk,@uga.cc.uga.edu:lojban@cuvmb.bitnet Fri Jun 09 22:04:38 1995 Received: from punt2.demon.co.uk by stryx.demon.co.uk with SMTP id AA3322 ; Fri, 09 Jun 95 22:04:36 BST Received: from punt2.demon.co.uk via puntmail for ia@stryx.demon.co.uk; Thu, 08 Jun 95 04:35:20 GMT Received: from gate.demon.co.uk by punt2.demon.co.uk id aa25709; 8 Jun 95 5:35 +0100 Received: from uga.cc.uga.edu by gate.demon.co.uk id aa23836; 7 Jun 95 20:37 GMT-60:00 Received: from UGA.CC.UGA.EDU by uga.cc.uga.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 3254; Wed, 07 Jun 95 15:35:53 EDT Received: from UGA.CC.UGA.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@UGA) by UGA.CC.UGA.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 4287; Wed, 7 Jun 1995 13:57:10 -0400 Date: Wed, 7 Jun 1995 13:55:02 -0400 Reply-To: Logical Language Group Sender: Lojban list From: Logical Language Group Subject: ship of Theseus and sevzi X-To: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: Iain Alexander Message-ID: <9506072038.aa23836@gate.demon.co.uk> Status: R > > ... > > In Rober Nozick's book, Philosophical Explanations, he describes the old > > puzzle of the ship of Theseus. The ship starts out from the port of Theseus > > on a lengthy voyage. During the voyage, the entire structure of the ship is > > replaced, one plank at a time. When the ship returns to its home port, is > > it the same ship? > >I'd quibble and say yes; I'm the same person I was 5 years ago, even >though all the atoms in my body may have changed since then.[1] It's the >form, not the materials, that determines identity. But this example >could easily be changed to one that I wouldn't quibble with. (e.g., >gradually change the shape until it becomes a house.) > >[1] Not entirely true, but the extent to which it's not true is mainly >determined by my experiences since then, not the change in materials. This sounds like a reflection (%^) of the sevzi place structure problem. The two ships are not identical (mintu), but they are self-same (sevzi). So are you and you-minus-5-years. lojbab