Chapter 50: The Ship of Theseus

Jiang Zhe was seen entering everyone's field of vision.

Hua Yunfeng picked up the microphone and began his lecture to the audience below the stage:

"The Ship of Theseus paradox is theoretically unsolvable; at least, it is very difficult to solve with current methods!"

"Or perhaps we simply haven't found the solution to this paradox yet."

"This time, I don't doubt that Jiang Zhe will present a new scientific theory and then resolve this Grandfather Paradox."

Professor Feng, standing beside him, chimed in, "Yes, that's one of the reasons Old Hua and I did our best to pull you all over here; we're not that tactless. Currently, the scientific community is seeing an explosion of paradoxes and a lack of theories."

"Perhaps we can find a breakthrough with him!"

In the eyes of professional scholars, the emergence of a new concept or theory can actually drive technological development.

For instance, the solution to the Grandfather Paradox can drive public ideological education.

The solution to the Bootstrap Paradox can inspire the public to yearn for the outer universe, while also providing strong evidence and cosmic conjectures for astronomers exploring extraterrestrial civilizations.

As for the Ship of Theseus...

Old Feng, Hua Yunfeng, and Leng Fei, among others below the stage, were all quite expectant.

Since Hua Yunfeng and Old Feng had given such assurances, the experts below the stage found it difficult to say anything more.

At that moment, Jiang Zhe's voice came from the screen.

"Hello, viewers and friends. I am your old friend: Jiang Zhe."

"The last time we met was the last time we met."

"Today, as promised in the preview, we will decrypt the [Ship of Theseus] paradox."

The corners of the experts' mouths below the stage twitched.

This host is quite adept at the 'art of nonsense'!

If any other host dared to play around like this on public ground, they would have been blasted sooner or later.

They estimated that Jiang Zhe was likely the pillar of Su City TV, hence he was given a certain degree of leniency and kind treatment.

"The Ship of Theseus originates from the theories of the modern philosopher Plutarch."

"Set against the backdrop of Ancient Greece, it is a paradox of identity replacement. Suppose the constituent elements of an object are replaced; is it still the same original object?"

"Plutarch described the 'Ship of Theseus' as a vessel that could sail the seas for hundreds, thousands, or even an infinite number of years, thanks to the continuous maintenance and replacement of its parts."

"Whenever a plank of wood in the hull rotted, it would be replaced."

"By extension, this continues until all functional parts are no longer the original ones."

"The question is, is the resulting ship still the original Ship of Theseus, or is it a completely different ship?"

"If it is not the original ship, then at what point did it cease to be the original ship?"

Most people in this world were intimately familiar with this paradox.

Physicists tried to analyze it from the level of the ship's molecules and atoms.

Philosophers analyzed it from the 'essence of the ship'.

Biologists analyzed it from the trees 'above the ship'.

Although various schools had different answers that they considered sharp, no single truth had ever gained widespread recognition.

It could be said that since this paradox emerged, everyone in this world has been restricted by the [hull].

At this moment, in the lecture hall, the experts were discussing animatedly.

"If Jiang Zhe continues to analyze it from the ship's physical body, I am 100% certain he will fail."

"Exactly, because 100% of scholars have failed; he will be no exception."

"So you're saying Jiang Zhe should find a new approach?"

"Find a new approach? How? I can't even imagine anything that could provide a new approach!"

"..."

While the experts were debating, Jiang Zhe began to explain on the screen.

"If we truly try to analyze whether it is the original ship and when it ceased to be the original ship from the perspective of the [Ship of Theseus] thought experiment, it is actually unsolvable."

"Because you could say: [The moment its wood was replaced, it was no longer the Ship of Theseus.]"

"You could also say: [Once all of its wood has been replaced, it is no longer the Ship of Theseus.]"

"If everyone analyzes it from this single viewpoint, the final answer will definitely be the same as the [Brain in a Vat]."

"[Brain in a Vat] tells us: those within the situation can never glimpse the truth; just as [I cannot doubt that I am doubting]!"

"[Ship of Theseus] tells us: we are high-level intelligent beings, but in reality, we are all actually quite stupid—you, me, him, and anyone else. We are so stupid that as long as we stubbornly obsess over a certain problem, once that problem gradually deepens, we can no longer truly obtain the answer to that problem."

With this last sentence, Jiang Zhe undoubtedly insulted the entire world, even including himself.

Instantly, the live stream's bullet chat exploded.

"I feel... insulted."

"His sentence is quite something; he even mercilessly insulted himself."

"Why is the bullet chat still so harmonious? No one is cursing him; I'm new here."

"Curse him for what? The man even insulted himself. Unless you think you're smarter than Jiang Zhe? When he calls you stupid, he's indirectly saying your IQ is as high as his; you should be happy."

"Zhe... that makes some sense, I'm actually speechless!"

"..."

In the lecture hall of Kyoto University of Science.

Hearing this, the experts looked stunned.

They felt insulted and immediately began to retort.

"What's the deal? I deigned to watch your live stream, and you're indirectly calling us stupid?"

"He's not just calling us stupid; he's insulting the entire world."

"Dammit, what is he doing?"

"..."

*Knock, knock, knock!*

On the podium, Hua Yunfeng tapped the table. Without any hint of displeasure, he simply said:

"What he said is actually correct. We humans pride ourselves on being high-level intelligent beings, yet we are also prone to obsessing over the truth of a single problem."

"We might not argue about 1+1=2, but someone will jump out and say 1+1=11, and then someone else will jump out and say 1+1 is definitely less than 1!"

"Then, you ask those people to prove it, and more or less, some can give answers and evidence as to why 1+1 equals whatever."

"As this problem gradually recurs, okay, whether this 1+1 actually equals 2 becomes uncertain."

"Because at the microscopic level, 1+1 might also equal 0; while at most levels, it equals 2, and so on."

"And the other meaning Jiang Zhe is conveying is: [We humans can currently only stay on the surface; once we go deep into any matter, we will return empty-handed, and due to the failure, we generate anger and complain about the whys and wherefores]."

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously boisterous audience below the stage suddenly fell silent.

Old Feng scanned the audience; every expert's face looked a bit uneasy.

Because Hua Yunfeng was telling the truth, and Jiang Zhe was also speaking the reality!

No one can thoroughly solve a problem at the original material level, as long as that problem was posed by humans rather than existing in nature.

Jiang Zhe's voice came from the large screen again.

"Alright, now that the preconditions have been given, let's analyze this paradox."

"In the past Bootstrap Paradox, I mentioned a core point: [There is no past, no future, only the now.]"

"Then the Ship of Theseus becomes—"

"[Right now, I am watching this ship have its parts replaced. After one part is replaced, okay, I believe it is still the Ship of Theseus.]"

"Was the Ship of Theseus of the past and future still the Ship of Theseus?"

"No, that's not important!"

Speaking to this point, Jiang Zhe raised his hand and put his index finger to his lips. "Shh~~ don't argue. On the surface of the object, it is still the Ship of Theseus."

"Then..."

"The ship breaks again. I watch it have its parts replaced once more. This time, someone brings an identical wooden plank over."

"Okay, at this moment, it is still the Ship of Theseus; at least to the crew on the ship, it is the Ship of Theseus."

"Mhm, as time passes, this ship sails on the infinite sea, and all its parts have been replaced once, but the ship still maintains its original appearance."

"At this point, for all of us on the ship, two possibilities exist."

"Half the people believe: the ship is no longer the Ship of Theseus; why? Because they saw with their own eyes that all the parts were replaced."

"The other half believe: the ship is still the ship, because its appearance has never changed."

As he finished speaking, Jiang Zhe faced the camera and asked a question in return:

"Theoretically speaking, if you try to solve the Ship of Theseus from this level, you will get the same answers as the crew members, and it will ultimately remain unsolvable."

"But I want to ask, for someone who knows nothing about it, is this ship still the Ship of Theseus?"

"Let's give this Ship of Theseus a new condition: [Ancient but full of power]."

"Let's add another new condition to this ship: [Docking]."

"Adding these two conditions still doesn't affect the [Ship of Theseus] itself."

"Next, when the ship docks, hundreds of thousands of people come to meet the heroes. They all see the ship that sailed out decades ago, which has now become ancient. In the eyes of most people, this is no problem; it's a sign of the ship being weathered by the sun and wind."

"May I ask, for the people on the shore, is this ship the original ship or not?"

A series of questions fell, instantly piquing people's curiosity.