Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton

Seymour and Grace

Nicola Yoon

Brooklyn, 10:05 p.m.

[Philosophy Now! PODCAST]

ANNOUNCER: On today’s episode of the pod we’re tackling one of the big ones: the question of identity. What makes you you?

Let’s start the discussion by examining the parable of the Ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus’s Paradox. Now, maybe it’s been a long time since high school and you’ve forgotten who Theseus was, so let me bring you up to speed. In Greek mythology, Theseus was the legendary king of Athens. He was a big-time hero, but what he was most known for is defeating the Minotaur—the half-man, half-bull creature—in the Labyrinth of Crete.

In one version of the legend, after Theseus defeated Minotaur, he sailed back home to Athens on a ship. His people were so overjoyed by his triumph they decided to honor him by preserving his ship in the harbor. Years passed and, over time, the ship started to deteriorate. In order to preserve the ship, his people would replace the parts, swapping out damaged planks for undamaged ones. After a thousand years of repair, all parts of the ship had been swapped out until none of the original parts remained.

Let me say that again: none of the original parts remained.

Now the question for you, my fellow philosophers, is this: After a thousand years, is the ship of Theseus sitting in the harbor still the Ship of Theseus?

If you answer no, then when did it stop being the Ship of Theseus? When the first plank of wood was replaced? The second? The last?

If you answer yes, then can I just build a ship using the old planks of wood and call that the Ship of Theseus?