Can a ship that has all or most of its components replaced over time still be considered the same ship?
This interesting and ancient question is actually considered both a thought experiment and paradox, known as the “Ship of Theseus,” that has been debated by philosophers since time immemorial.
The Ship of Theseus explores the concept of identity and change over time. The exercise also asks if identity is tied directly to the ship’s physical pieces, attached to the continuousness of its form, connected to its history, or bound to its purpose.
“The Ship of Theseus, as it exists in our modern imagination, is a symbol of our unresolved understanding of identity and being,” said Kourtney Murray, who teaches both lower- and upper-division Greek and Latin courses at San Diego State University. “This philosophical version stems largely from the Greek philosopher Plutarch, who around 100 BCE first used the ship to succinctly pose a question that philosophers had already been wrestling with for centuries: What is the nature of being? Are we merely the sum of our parts—constantly changing and thus never the same—or is there some essence, some soul or form, that orders and indeed transcends our material existence? This is the question that has continued to captivate thinkers ever since.”
The noted Greek philosopher Aristotle suggested that even if its material parts are replaced over time, its formal cause does not change and thus the ship remains the same.
Conversely, the influential 17th century English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, proposed that a ship is purely the sum of its parts. If the original parts or planks of the ship are replaced, then the original ship has disappeared.
While somewhat more tangential, can this same paradox be applied to the USS Midway?
Midway was originally constructed during World War II, however, over the course of its 47-year career in the Navy, the ship went through a number of very significant upgrades, overhauls and redesigns. Thus, Midway looked significantly different in 1992 when it was decommissioned, than it did in 1945 when it first joined the naval fleet. It’s estimated by some naval historians that as much as 40 to 50 percent of the ship’s components have been replaced or significantly modified.
“Given the multifarious changes to Midway over eight decades, perhaps only the hull skinning and framing, spaces below the second deck, parts of the hangar deck sides, and the exhaust funnels remain from 1945,” said Karl Zingheim, Midway’s historian. “That would equate to perhaps 45 percent of what comprised the Midway when it was commissioned just after then end of the Second World War. Furthermore, very little from 1945 was simply refreshed. Any removals from the original ship meant the addition of something completely new.”
It’s estimated that as many as 200,000 officers and sailors served on Midway during its nearly five decades of active service. Perhaps there is no more appropriate group of people to pose this thought question to, as it relates to Midway, than to former members of the crew. Having called Midway home for years at a stretch, their perspectives on Midway’s identity, while understandably biased, are as powerful as they are passionate.
“Even though the USS Midway underwent many changes over its 47 years of operational service, and celebrated its 80th birthday this year, I believe it still to be the same ship as when its keel was laid,” said David Daugherty, a naval flight officer who flew the E-2C Hawkeye from Midway’s flight deck from 1989 to 1990. “Just like the human body, even though it undergoes marked changes over the years, our soul, in fact our very essence, is still the same. I think that Midway is the same, as it too has a soul. Midway’s soul is really the embodiment of all those who have served and cared for the ship as an active duty carrier for nearly 50 years, and those who care for it now as a museum.”
History has shown that it can often be very difficult for some people to ignore the deep-seated emotional relationship that they have with a ship, while others might see the boat as nothing more than a lifeless inanimate object.
“Beyond its philosophical implications, the Ship of Theseus also represents a seemingly timeless human impulse: the desire to forge a meaningful connection to the past in order to define civic identity and promote civic pride,” said Kourtney, who earned her Ph.D. from the Tri-campus Graduate Program in Classics. “Whether or not the Athenians themselves called it the Ship of Theseus, it reminded them not only of their heroic ancestor but of the enduring values that bound their community together. The Athenians didn’t worry about whether the ship’s planks had been replaced; its authenticity was guaranteed by shared belief in its meaning.”
“I’ve thought often about Midway, not just as a collection of steel decks, non-skid, wiring and compartments, but as a living entity, one that carried with it the spirit of those who served aboard her,” said Mark Blocksom, who served in Midway’s supply department from 1975 to 1977. “Even today, when I step aboard the Midway as a museum volunteer, I am reminded of home. Although Midway has undergone many changes over the years, I find myself looking beyond the purely physical. Midway is more than the sum of her parts. She’s not just steel and paint. She’s memories, stories, sweat, sacrifice, camaraderie and pride. No matter how much was added, removed or reconfigured over time, Midway retained her identity through the lives she touched, the missions she carried out, the lives lost and the legacy she built over nearly five decades.”
The Ship of Theseus and other thought experiments or paradoxes on identity and being will continue to puzzle and be pondered by scholars and sages, but for those who, whether by their own choosing or some other force, have developed intrinsic personal connections with the ship, the question of identity takes on an almost mystical sentiment.
“I was on Midway from 1977 to 1979, and we deployed far and wide, from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean,” said Pence Parsons, a former E-2C Hawkeye naval flight officer. “I believe Midway to be the same ship, whether it’s 1945 or 1992, because of something we call Midway Magic. This mystique surrounds the ship and its crew. While it’s true that 40 to 50 percent of the ship’s components may have been replaced, there’s far more to the ship than just its original parts. By my standards, Midway will always be the same ship.”
“She’s memories, stories, sweat, sacrifice, camaraderie and pride. No matter how much was added, removed or reconfigured over time, Midway retained her identity through the lives she touched, the
missions she carried out, the lives lost and the legacy she built over nearly five decades.”
“Despite all the changes Midway has experienced, I believe she has always remained the same ship,” said Mark. “Her essence lies not in her parts, but in her purpose, accomplishments and the people and experiences who made her what she was, and still is today. My feelings for Midway aren’t tied to a specific chunk of steel or a piece of technology, they’re tied to the spirit of the ship itself.”
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