Personal Identity And Ship Of Theseus

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The Ship of Theseus is a classical philosophical argument about Personal Identity. When does a ship that has its parts gradually replaced cease to be the same ship? That makes me question myself about what persists overtime despite all the changes one undergoes. I will start off by stating that I am an Essentialist; they believe that everyone has a core, soul or essence that persists despite what one does or does not, and despite physical changes. I have many reasons to justify my position. First, the ship of Theseus is not what it is by the individual parts that make it up. We cannot be a different person because one part of our body has been removed or changed. I am thinking about the people that had a heart or kidney implants, does that mean they are new people? I don’t think so. I believe that even though your organs are changed, you are still the same person because your soul is still there moreover your parents, siblings are still the same and what you have accomplished in the past still belong to you.. Then, I will say that the ship of Theseus is not what it is because of its structure. If I gain weight won’t I still be the same person? If I cut my hair, am I a different person? If I lighten my skin with bleach products or injections like Michael Jackson did am I a different person? I don’t think so. The changes on any structure do not change the inner person. Finally, the ship of Theseus is not what it is because of is history. Meaning that at the end of the day, our thoughts, feelings, memories do not make us. I don’t have any memories of me when I was a toddler, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t me. I still have the same dna, genes, and it is all the stages I have been through that made who I am today. Some people think that there is no core, soul or essence and we are what we do, we are our actions. I do not
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