Thought experiments help us understand the complexity of the world around us. Today I want to go over the Ship of Theseus thought experiment and use it to understand the constant evolution of religion around us today. Specifically, the changes in the Mormon church throughout its short history.
What is a thought Experiment?
A thought experiment is a similar to a real one, but the difference is we do it in our minds. It is a method of thinking through a subject to draw a conclusion. All in your head you set up a situation and consider the outcomes and consequences of a hypothetical.
The Ship of Theseus
This thought experiment has been around for a while and even modernized by the grandfather’s axe thought experiment. Below is a quote from an early source of the thought experiment by Plutarch. He was a Greek essayist from the first century c.e. Plutarch was not the first to discuss this, but I like the way he phrases the puzzle.
Imagine a wooden vessel, oar, sails, rigging. Over time, as the boat ages the oars wear down and eventually are replaced with new oars. More years pass and various planks of the boat need to be repaired and replaced in order to keep it in working condition. New sails to replace the worn out old ones and new rigging to keep it functional. Eventually the boat no longer has any of its original parts.
With none of the original parts, is it the same boat? Is the ship of Theseus still the ship of Theseus when it no longer has any of the parts that Theseus used?
I don’t want to answer this for you. Come to your own conclusion.
Plutarch
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, Theseus 75 c.e. – Translator, John Dryden
Context For the Experiment
Although unnecessary to understand the experiment, Theseus was a legendary figure from Greek history. He is considered the founder king of Athens and is the same guy from the Minotaur story. As a legendary figure we do not have much actual information about him, but he is thought to have lived between 900 b.c.e. and 800 b.c.e.
Plutarch wrote this experiment roughly 900 years later. The hypothetical ship of Theseus would have been completely reconstructed countless times between Theseus and Plutarch.
Other Applications
A logical next thought for many people is what does that mean about me? Every ten years or so every cell in our body except a lense in our eye is replaced. Our physical bodies do not differ from the ship replacing worn-out cells with new ones until nothing of our original baby body is left. What then is a person? Our Mind, or memories? What does that mean about someone with memory loss? Are they no longer themselves?
The Good Ship Zion
In my next post, I’ll cover some of the major changes to the Mormon religion since its inception and discuss it through the lense of the ship of Theseus. Check back next week for a post on this subject.
scarltondyer.com 
Leave a comment