savetheearth | voice; cellphone

There seem to be quite a few things different about me physically, ever since I discovered this network a few months back, and aside from being a little irritating, most of them haven't significantly affected me to the point of not being able to function. However, I think that there is something odd going on with my eating habits. I've been hungry in an odd way since I visited the Tuning Towers and it's been going on for weeks and nothing is really helping the issue. And I think I've figured out what that is, though how I figured out involves a very uncomfortable bus ride with people who have no concept of personal space, but very tantalizing, ah... Well... Jugular veins.

Anyway, that odd statement coming from me really should make what I'm about to ask obvious, but bear with me, because I am going to ask a mildly disturbing question.

Does anyone else besides me feel a particular urge to, oh I don't know, drink blood? And along the same vein- I mean- Along the same lines, is there any way to make it stop aside from the usual thing? I've read enough literature to understand the basic idea but is there anyway to opt out? Because I'd really rather not go down that path at the moment.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If nothing else, a change in appearance doesn't mean you'll cease to remain yourself.

[Hopefully that's somehow comforting?]

The changes in memory will take care of that, I imagine.

Obtaining memories not your own will not make you any less the person you are.

Memories and experiences are what make people who they are, correct?

Yes, but acquiring new memories does not change who you are at this very moment.

But it will eventually

[a pause comes from his end]

Have you ever heard of Theseus' Ship?

I wasn't aware he had a ship. I thought he traveled by road. Or was that Perseus...

[These Greek heroes and their -eseus.]

He traveled by boat to arrive at the island of Minos, however this isn't related to the mythology per say. It's a philosophical question, a logical paradox to be precise.

As I mentioned, Theseus traveled to Minos by boat and returned home to Athens in that same boat. Over time this ship grew to need repairs. Say that for each repair, a single plank was replaced. More and more planks were replaced over time until none of the original planks remained. Can the boat still be considered the same boat that Theseus had traveled in or had it become a different boat?

Hold on for a moment... [There are a few research-y sounds, mostly thoughtful 'hmms' and and finger-taps on a screen.]

Minos is in Crete and the route to Athens is almost a straight line, where would he have stopped to fix the boat? Where would they have even gotten the supplies? If they kept them on the ship, why wouldn't they have just built another boat and left in the newer one? And even if they replaced all the planks, if they were still calling the ship by the name they initially used and it was still functioning in it's purpose, would it really matter to them whether or not it was the same ship?

[PHILOSOPHY FAIL.]

Your knowledge of Mediterranean geography is impressive, if somewhat off topic.

[Impressive, but just not philosophy.]

Although, the last question holds a philosophical aspect to it. Does it matter if the ship is the same as it was at the beginning? Does it in fact matter that you are not the same as you were before?

All I did was run a few Google searches. It wasn't too difficult.

And regardless of how interesting the question is as far as philosophy goes, I think it's difficult to actually apply, seeing at boats are not people. I think that if I were to suddenly change in a large way, I would find that it did matter because I am human. Well... Mostly.

[Ah yes, google. BACK IN HIS DAY YOU ACTUALLY HAD TO GO TO THE LIBRARY TO LEARN THIS STUFF!!]

Then allow me to make it easier to relate to. Think of yourself as the boat and every memory you have as the wooden boards. Rather than take away memories, you have more and more added on while keeping the old ones. Would you say the new memories make you less yourself or simply serve as an addition to who you are?

If you added more planks on top of old planks, you would end up with a very heavy boat. Would it even be able to float after so much augmentation?

[It may be a vague allusion that she's making, but it is still a cause of concern.]

The Titanic had managed to sail despite its weight and size. So long as the pieces are added properly then it should not compromise the buoyancy.

[Just like more and more memories won't compromise the person. Or something.]

The Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk. Pardon my lack of comfort in that example.

[Why would you even, Mr. Locke...]

Then take the Olympic instead. It had been a sister ship to the Titanic and enjoyed a long, relatively incident-free career.

[Because Mr. Locke is secretly an idiot.]

Edited 2014-01-08 12:48 (UTC)

That you think I'm more likely to be the Olympic than the Titanic is almost flattering.

That you know of the Olympic is more than deserving of flattery, however my point is that a boat can stay afloat no matter how large or heavy as long as it's constructed properly.

I'm not sure that haphazardly ramming memories into my head and replacing parts of myself suddenly actually constitutes as 'well-constructed' but I suppose we will have to wait and see.

You don't seem the type to sink easily so you ought to complete many voyages before your time.

I suppose you have unwittingly made an accurate assessment there. Does this mean that we can stop holding a conversation primarily in metaphors?

A reasonable request. I hope these metaphors helped ease your worries somewhat.

There isn't a thing on this planet that could do that, Mr. Locke.

How fortunate we're dealing with other worldly beings, then.

voice; cellphone

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