Problem
"The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned from Crete had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their places, insomuch that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same."
Plutarch, Life of Theseus
The classic paradox, Ship of Theseus, poses a central problem: if the original ship has had all of its parts replaced, is it still the same ship?
Knowing what you know now, how would you reason through this problem? How would you approach this problem differently than at the beginning of the semester?
Write one paragraph explaining your updated response to this paradox; what do you believe to be true? Then, write one paragraph reflecting on your growth in the area of critical thinking since you last responded to this prompt.