Chapter 66: We are a story

This sentence struck a chord deep within the hearts of most viewers.

They indeed judged others based on appearance and Similarity.

Some netizens were even left-behind children; when their fathers returned home for the New Year, the children would only identify them based on the memory of their parents' appearance.

Who knew that the person might not be the father, but just an uncle who looked remarkably like him, and nothing more.

There were far too many examples like this, and the audience was well aware of it.

"The 90-year-old grandfather of Wang Lin and the 6-year-old boy, the Little Grandfather, we mentioned earlier—the two of them share no Similarity."

"Because one is old and the other is young, they look completely different!"

"Instead, what they share is something that no other person on Earth possesses!"

"That is, while the 90-year-old man might not remember what he looked like at age six, the grandfather clearly remembers what he looked like at 89."

"And that 89-year-old grandfather remembers what he looked like at 85."

"That 85-year-old grandfather remembers what he looked like at 50."

"That 50-year-old grandfather remembers what he looked like at 30."

"That 30-year-old grandfather remembers what he looked like at 10."

"The 10-year-old grandfather remembers what he looked like at 7."

"The 7-year-old grandfather remembers what he looked like at 6."

At this point in the narration, Jiang Zhe smiled slightly at the camera.

"So, the answer emerges—"

"continuity. It is a very long, constantly overlapping line."

"It is a chain composed of memory, personality, and physical characteristics."

"If a perfectly good bicycle chain is before you, and you take an axe to chop it in half and then piece it back together, is it still the original chain?"

As his voice fell, the direction of the comments in the livestream shifted instantly.

100% of the viewers believed—

"No!"

"That's right, absolutely not."

"Because after the axe chopped the chain, it destroyed the chain's original [continuity]."

"..."

Of course, Jiang Zhe couldn't see these comments and continued his explanation.

"In other words, you, I, and he—we are not actually a thing, but a complete story."

"The Ship of Theseus is not a ship, but a complete story—the origin of this story is a continuous process from a new ship to an old ship, a story that people find fascinating to hear."

"All of us are a constantly evolving theme."

"We are like a room filled with things."

"Some things are new, while others are old."

"Some things, we know where they are; others, we don't even know ourselves."

"On the other hand, the things in the room are always changing, never the same from day to day."

"By the same logic!"

"You, I, and he—we are not a set of brain data; we are all a large, constantly transforming database."

"We are constantly growing amidst the mundane world!"

"We are constantly updating after sorrow."

"We are constantly looking back at the end."

At this point, Jiang Zhe's tone became increasingly serious.

"We... are... just... a... story!"

"This is what makes us human: [continuity]."

Having finished his speech, before anyone could react, Jiang Zhe's serious expression suddenly turned into a smile. "Alright, today's livestream ends here. Please join our Q&A session shortly!"

As his explanation concluded, everyone was left in deep shock.

"We are just a story!"

This sentence was deeply imprinted in the minds of the viewers before the screen.

They stared at the large screen, looking somewhat dazed.

They used to think consciousness was a world-class mystery.

From a biological perspective, it's just neurons firing.

From a physics perspective, it's just a string of information communicating.

From a neurological perspective, it's just a series of brain nerves interacting.

From a theological perspective, it's just a soul.

But they had never heard that humans were actually just a story!

The power of this sentence left most ordinary people unable to forget it for a long time.

At the same time, it felt as if a shackle in their minds had been instantly shattered, making them look forward to the future even more!

Yes, this sentence was incredibly powerful for ordinary people.

In almost one sentence, it explained what 'I' am!

There was no so-called mysticism; from children to the elderly, they all deeply recognized the power brought by this sentence from the bottom of their hearts!

...

Inside the lecture hall of Kyoto University of Science.

Professor Hua Yunfeng, Professor Feng, and the others said nothing, staring intently at the large screen.

Jiang Zhe's voice echoed in their minds.

"[We are constantly growing!]"

"[We are constantly updating.]"

"[This is our human 'continuity']."

After making the comparison...

The two elders also easily discovered that this explanation could be applied to the paradox of the [Ship of Theseus].

If a perfectly good Ship of Theseus, after constant exposure to the elements, is then manually replaced and reassembled into a new Ship of Theseus, is it still the Ship of Theseus?

No, absolutely not!

These two Ships of Theseus have no Similarity in appearance; one is new and the other is broken.

These two Ships of Theseus also have no internal continuity; the continuity of the hull was severed after the first plank was replaced.

Just as Jiang Zhe said: "[If you take an axe to chop a perfectly good chain, is it still the original chain?]"

No, absolutely not!

After a brief silence at the scene.

Then, the eyes of all the philosophers burned with intensity, and their bodies couldn't stop trembling.

"Solved, he solved it!"

"My god, he really solved it. He used [Similarity] and [continuity] to directly solve the top three of the ten great paradoxes!"

"Incredible, why didn't I think of Similarity and continuity!"

"I thought he was just a flash in the pan, but who would have thought he's already flashed three times."

"..."

The philosophers had initially watched the science popularization and mystery-solving livestream just for fun.

Who would have thought that the more they watched, the more extraordinary it became? They truly didn't expect a 24-year-old host to be able to solve a world-class problem: the Ship of Theseus paradox.

Not only that, he had even conveniently solved the [Cloning] problem along the way.

The biologists at the scene couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"His view on [Cloning] has already surpassed all of us."

"I thought a paradox was just a paradox, nothing to solve; I didn't expect him to go beyond just solving the paradox; he even solved the [Cloning] topic that has troubled our world."

"Teleportation Machines are not Teleportation Machines at all; they have always been murder machines."

"If this news becomes known to more people, the country will likely ban the manufacture of [Teleportation Machines]. These machines challenge the very existence of humanity."

"..."

Professor Hua Yunfeng and Professor Feng looked at each other.

The two spoke in unison.

"Now, everyone, call the Su City number. Let's try to get one or two of our experts into those slots."

"If all else fails, even one slot will do!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone—young and old—took out their phones and dialed the number at the bottom of the screen.

The sound of "Beep, beep, beep!" filled the room, followed by: "The hotline you dialed is currently busy, please redial later!"

"I can't get through, I simply can't get through!"

"It's too popular, I can't squeeze in."

"With millions of people on the hotline, can we really get through?"

...

In fact, it wasn't just the experts in Kyoto.

In household after household in Su City, 80% of the people watching the livestream began to beam with joy after recovering from that sentence.

As if by prior agreement, they applauded Jiang Zhe enthusiastically in front of their televisions.

"This handsome young man is truly unheard of; he explained 'I' so thoroughly in one sentence."

"For literary youth, this sentence can directly be used as a motto."

"I must call the hotline, I must. If I don't, I'd be embarrassed to say I've watched Jiang Zhe's show."

"..."

Undoubtedly.

That final sentence expanded Jiang Zhe's fan base once again to include countless middle-aged people.

...

In the studio.

The sound of "Beep, beep, beep!" rang out.

A call had been connected.

Jiang Zhe faced the camera and smiled slightly. "Hello, sir, what question would you like to ask?"

The person on the other end was dazed for a moment, then didn't respond to Jiang Zhe, but instead shouted excitedly toward their side.

"Professor Hua, I got through! I got through! It's Jiang Zhe, the real, live Jiang Zhe!"