Ship of Theseus

Published on 11th November, 2018, in Mumbai Mirror. There is a very famous philosophical problem popularly known as the Ship of Theseus, or the Theseus's Paradox. Imagine a ship is brought to a museum, an ancient vessel discovered in an archaeological dig and identified as the ship of Theseus. Over time we find that some parts of the woodwork are rotting and need to be replaced. After some time another piece needs to be replaced and then another... This goes on until finally, a couple of years later, no portion of the original woodwork is left. The ship looks the same, but it comprises new ..