Ship of Theseus

I had once seen the film The Ship of Theseus (2013). The film starts by quoting the Theseus' Paradox.

I quote Wikipedia here...

"The ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus' paradox, is a thought experiment that raises the question of whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. The paradox is most notably recorded by Plutarch in Life of Theseus from the late first century. Plutarch asked whether a ship that had been restored by replacing every single wooden part remained the same ship."

That said, the film was interesting and definitely worth a repeat watch, but this is not a review of the film. What fascinated me was the celebration of this thought experiment for centuries by different thinkers in different ways when I felt the whole question was questionable fundamentally.

At this point it would be interesting to read the material in Wikipedia @ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus.

Let me quote the question again...

Is a ship that had been restored by replacing every single part the same ship?

The primary reason this question survives is because one assumes for granted the existence of something called a Ship. If there is no Ship at all in the first place, then the question whether it is the Same Ship will cease to have any existence in the plane of reason. To clarify, I don't object to existence of the name of an object with regard to its form and function but I dismiss the idea that the object has distinct existence as an Entity.

Is there a Ship? Let me investigate.

Suppose that there are many materials lying around. There is nothing NEW when we SEE the materials lying around. I pick up the materials lying around, arrange and align them in a particular way. Still, Absolutely speaking, there is nothing NEW because the materials just changed their Relative Positions in the Universe. To put it simply, what was THERE is now HERE. But what happens Relatively in the MIND?

When the materials come together in such a way that it creates a New FORM, there occurs a NEW SENSE OF WHOLE. When this happens the Mind bestows a SINGULARITY on the Assumed Whole. The Sense of Whole and the feeling of Singularity is so intense that the Mind imposes a Ghost Entity to the Form. This illusion of Entity becomes a spell when the Form starts to function together, be it a Ship or a Painting. The Entity gains authenticity with the help of language when the Form is labeled, say a SHIP.  All the materials assembled together will be considered to be a part of something that really never existed before or for that matter does not exist even after it has come together. Take for example the statement - This Nut is part of This Ship. Notice that the language has made the Nut a part of an Imaginary Whole called the Ship.

We forget that Name is just for communication and convenience. We don't realize that what is said or what is seen are few bits of material that have been juxtaposed together intelligently. We fail to acknowledge that there never was and there never is any NEW ENTITY. It just SEEMS so. The assembly is formed into a Singularity, an Entity, in the Mind.

THE ENTITY OF THE SHIP IS JUST A PROJECTION OF THE MIND. That, I feel, reasonably dismisses the Theseus Paradox fundamentally.

Just to extend the analysis, we may not feel like asking this question if just a small bit of wood was changed in the Ship. That is because the mind does not perceive any substantial change.

THIS IS TRUE FOR EACH AND EVERYTHING AROUND US. EVERY THING IS JUST A COMPOUND. BUT WHAT ABOUT US?

Let me sail rougher waters in the Ship of Theseus. Coming back to the film, The Ship of Theseus, which asks (in my own words) - IS a PERSON who has been restored by TRANSPLANTING CERTAIN ORGANS donated by another person, THE SAME PERSON?

I will smile, apply the same analysis, arrive at the same conclusion and rest in peace. But then, the process being biological and intricate aspects like consciousness and mind involved, I better buckle up. Add to the complexity the fact that we operate with an extreme Sense of Singularity called the 'I'.

I will steer the ship to favorable winds to arrive at a different FACT.

Suppose Mr X loses his hand in an accident. Poor Mr X. Though he has lost his hand, his 'I' or let me say from now on, his Sense of 'I', is Complete and Whole. That is undeniable. Mr X, when he was stepping out of the hospital after recovery, gets hit by a speeding ambulance. In that accident he loses his other hand and both his legs. Luckily he survives. But his shoulder bone had to be replaced with steel. Just look at Mr X without hands or legs and bones of steel. But still his SENSE OF 'I' is COMPLETE and WHOLE. When he regained his consciousness he sees himself in the mirror only to be astonished and frightened. He has a severe heart attack and a stroke which leads to a sudden kidney failure. One of his kidney is removed and luckily he gets a donor for a new heart. Mr X is a very lucky guy (or unlucky?). He is now a Man without hands or legs, has steel instead of bones, does not have a kidney, and has a heart which was never his. But STILL HIS SENSE OF 'I' IS COMPLETE AND WHOLE.

We can observe this in ourselves on an everyday basis without having to undergo anything gruesome. We loose hair, teeth, skin, nails etc, but still our Sense of 'I' does not change.

Let me stop torturing Mr X and get to the point. This leads me to the obvious FACT that the SENSE OF 'I' is independent of the BODY. In other words I AM NOT THE BODY. Yes I accept that we don't know of an 'I' independent of the body. The organism needs certain minimum basic organs to function together for consciousness and mind to subsist. Just like a ship needs certain minimum parts for it to function and look a ship. One can argue then that those minimum organs is a part of the 'I'. Please watch Mr X again. A human being definitely needs a heart, but not necessarily the same heart. So the 'I' is independent of THAT organ.

What ever the FORM that one SEES is FACTUALLY NOT THE 'I'.

Let me extend the analysis a little. Sorry Mr X.

As he was about to try and get back to life, his wife abandoned him and he suffered another stroke. His brain had to be operated. But due to an error the doctors made, Mr X lost his memory. Now to himself he may be a stranger, but note that his SENSE OF 'I' is intact! This 'I' is even independent of MEMORY.


Well the Ship has arrived somewhere and right now I wouldn't go and ask Mr X if he is the same person. But I would definitely ask myself whence does this 'I' arise. How does this 'I' arise. What is this 'I'.