Plutarch’s ancient riddle — a staple of Philosophy 101 — concerns the mythic ship of Theseus. The story goes: Brave Theseus crosses the treacherous Aegean from Athens to Crete, where he plunges into King Minos’s deadly Labyrinth and slaughters the vicious Minotaur that had been terrorizing the land. The conquering hero then boarded his galley, hitched a fair wind home, and ascended the Athenian throne.
As the centuries rolled on, the grateful citizens of Athens revered Theseus so much they scrupulously ripped out every rotting hull timber of his vessel, replacing each with a perfect replica in fresh hardwood. Eventually, not a single sliver of the original ship remained.
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