Ship of Theseus
Theseus's Paradox
A thought experiment that raises the question of whether a ship—standing for an object in general—that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object.
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Origin
The first known written reference to the thought experiment is in Plutarch's "Life of Theseus," written in the first century CE. The term "Ship of Theseus" is believed to have been coined by the philosopher Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century, and the thought experiment has since been used to explore questions about identity, change, and continuity in philosophy.