Chapter 52: Is it that simple?

Jiang Zhe's third core point truly gave people a sense of wonder.

Previously, they had only been studying Problem One and Problem Two.

Very few people had ever added a third question to it.

"The third core point... *Hiss*, come to think of it, I realize now that he really did add a new ship to the paradox in the video."

"Exactly. The new ship is made from the damaged parts replaced from the original Ship of Theseus. Isn't it still the Ship of Theseus?"

"If it is, then since these parts were all replaced from the original ship, does the wear and tear that occurred during the replacement process not count?"

"..."

This was the question the audience was curious about.

If the original Ship A is damaged and parts C are replaced.

Then parts C are reassembled into Ship B.

In this way, two Ships of Theseus are obtained.

For a moment, everyone was entangled in Jiang Zhe's new paradoxical point.

Do they still count as one ship?

...

Kyoto University of Science.

In the lecture hall.

The new argument proposed by Jiang Zhe was an eye-opener for these experts.

Just as Jiang Zhe said, they had all been studying Problems One and Two; no one had ever studied Three.

Furthermore, Jiang Zhe said that Problem Three seemed to be achievable in reality, which caused the experts to doubt his professional ability.

"A thought experiment is just a thought experiment. Even if you add a new paradoxical point to it, it's still just a thought experiment. How could it be realized?"

"Yeah, his professional ability is still a bit weak; I shouldn't have believed Professor Hua Yunfeng and come here."

"The issue isn't whether we should have come or not, but whether Ship A with replaced parts and Ship B assembled from the original parts are both the Ship of Theseus, or something else entirely?"

"I—I don't know!"

"..."

One Philosopher after another stood up.

Some of them believed Jiang Zhe was using equivocation.

But on second thought, the shift in concept didn't seem wrong; Problem Three was indeed the essence of the Ship of Theseus.

As for the first two problems, they were garbage.

Plutarch's Problem One and Problem Two were, without exaggeration, incredibly weak!

Even though everyone was shocked, no one spoke up to praise him.

On the podium.

Professor Hua Yunfeng looked at Old Feng; the two exchanged glances and nodded silently with a smile.

"They're starting to get interested in Little Jiang's content too. I was right to recommend they come; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to save face."

"I have to say, Jiang Zhe's Point 3 really is the core. Plutarch... always feels a bit weak in comparison."

"It's not that he's weak, but that Little Jiang's perspective is more up-to-date!"

To convince this group of proud Philosophers below the stage, Jiang Zhe had to have some real skill.

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

"Yes, Problem One and Problem Two are, to be honest, truly not worth mentioning."

As soon as these words were spoken, he offended the Philosophers present once again.

"Absurd! How is that possible? You actually say his Problem One and Problem Two are not worth mentioning?"

"Good grief, I thought you were well-bred before; to say a senior's problem is not worth mentioning in broad daylight—I'm not scolding you as a senior, but is it appropriate to say that?"

"It seems I misjudged you!"

"..."

Some of his words had clearly offended a portion of the Philosophers.

Didn't this just echo the previous line, 'All of us are fools'?

Professor Hua Yunfeng and Old Feng looked at each other again, their expressions appearing a bit tense.

Jiang Zhe wasn't like this before. Why did he suddenly seem like a different person today?

Could it be?

That the original Ship of Theseus really isn't worth mentioning?

Just then, Jiang Zhe solemnly emphasized his explanation.

"Perhaps my previous words offended some people, but please, everyone, stay calm!"

"As for why they are not worth mentioning..."

"That's because—"

"This decryption will not be agreed upon by many people."

"Therefore, I can only use a more appropriate example to answer Problem One and Problem Two."

"Now, I will decrypt the Problems 1 and 2 that everyone is concerned about."

"At this moment, I will first give this ship a definition. As for why, you will understand once I finish, and the answer will naturally appear."

"Question: After a series of plank replacements, is it still the original ship?"

"I'm asking now: what the hell does 'the original ship' actually refer to?"

"A: Does it refer to the ship that the crew subjectively considers to be the one they set out on? I don't know."

"B: Or does it refer to the ship that the crew believes they have been fighting and living on? I don't know either."

"C: Or does it refer to the ship that the wives standing on the harbor shore, waiting for their husbands, are longing for? I know even less."

"D: Or does it even refer to the ship that achieved its first military exploit? I don't know, still don't know."

"E: Or does it still refer to the ship composed of the wood and canvas from when it set out? I still don't know."

"F: Or is it even the ship that the King at the time specifically ordered to be built and then named? No, I have no idea at all."

Jiang Zhe's unique explanation, full of emotion and rhetorical questions, made the audience gradually feel his mood, which seemed somewhat angry.

This also caused more viewers to start focusing their attention.

"To be honest—each definition like A, B, C, D, E, F, and so on corresponds to a different answer; and every answer is correct, depending on what definition your answer is based on."

"If you use A as the definition, then the answer is based on what the crew thinks—[The crew naturally does not consider it the Ship of Theseus because all the parts have been replaced]."

"If you use C as the definition, then the answer is based on the ship the wives waiting for their husbands are longing for; to the wives: [This is the Ship of Theseus]."

"Furthermore, if you use E as the definition, then I'm sorry, because all the wood and canvas from when it set out have been replaced, the answer naturally becomes [This is not the Ship of Theseus]."

"So, a simple and easy-to-understand question arises—"

"Plutarch gave you a vague definition; then he pointed at this ship and said: [After gradually replacing the parts, is it still the original ship?]"

Having spoken to this point, Jiang Zhe solemnly tapped the whiteboard, his tone very stern.

"I'll say it straight: Plutarch's definition is very vague. In my opinion, though what I'm about to say might be a bit improper, he really was despicable; 'despicable' refers to this paradox, not to him as a person in reality!"

"He could define this answer as any definition he chose."

"As long as you provide an answer based on definition A, if Plutarch were to know, he would say: [Incorrect]."

"If you provide an answer based on definition C, if Plutarch were to know, he would still say: [Incorrect]."

"Because, essentially, this definition is extremely vague!"

"Yet there are people who like to mix different definitions together and then artificially create them."

"It's like someone intentionally mixing rice and sand, then pointing at this 'rice' and asking you: [Is this a bowl of food, or a bowl of trash]?"

"At this point, if you seriously study the question he proposed, you're more or less leaning toward being a fool."

"By the same token, chickens and ducks arguing over whether their language should be 'cluck' or 'quack'..."

"...is also meaningless!"

"But the chickens and ducks keep arguing about it."

"The argument itself becomes an interesting thing, while the result is actually not that important."

"This teaches us: it's no good to rush into discussing high-end topics without first clarifying the underlying fundamental issues."

At this point in the explanation, the staff and experts below the stage, as well as the online audience, were all dumbfounded.