medium · SAT Reading & Writing
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: * The "Ship of Theseus" is a thought experiment about identity. * It asks whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. * If every plank of a ship is replaced over time, is it still the same ship? * Philosopher Thomas Hobbes extended the problem: what if the old planks were gathered and used to build a second ship? * The experiment is used to discuss the difference between "formal" and "material" identity. The student wants to explain the central dilemma posed by the Ship of Theseus. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- Over time, every plank on a ship might be replaced, leading philosophers to wonder how many planks are needed to make a ship.
- Identity is often divided into "formal" and "material" categories when philosophers discuss the Ship of Theseus thought experiment.
- Thomas Hobbes expanded the Ship of Theseus problem by asking what happens if the old planks are used to construct a second ship.
- The Ship of Theseus is a thought experiment about identity: it leaves open whether an object whose components have all been replaced is still fundamentally the same object.
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