Bike of Theseus
Bike of Theseus
I've just replaced the original crankset so now about the only componenent on my 'old' Trek 520 that came with the bike when I bought it is the back brake. Even the seatpost clamp is not the original, that stretched and has been replaced by a Campagnolo one so now I can say I have Campy kit on my bike. I suppose there are a lot of people with what you might call a Bike of Theseus. The Ship of Theseus thing is why I put the quotes around 'old': many of the parts are quite new.
The profound philosophical question arises, am I riding a Trek 520 or something else? And the somewhat less philosophical question is it time I bought something new? The 520 is a bit on the heavy side and something like a Moots passes through my musings from time to time but I feel great loyalty to my old tank. What's a chap to do, if anything? I suppose I'll wait until the frame breaks and like a true procrastinator let circumstances make my mind up for me.
The profound philosophical question arises, am I riding a Trek 520 or something else? And the somewhat less philosophical question is it time I bought something new? The 520 is a bit on the heavy side and something like a Moots passes through my musings from time to time but I feel great loyalty to my old tank. What's a chap to do, if anything? I suppose I'll wait until the frame breaks and like a true procrastinator let circumstances make my mind up for me.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
Re: Bike of Theseus
Trigger's Broom: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=100783
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
Re: Bike of Theseus
Ah well. Nothing new under the sun.gaz wrote:Trigger's Broom: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=100783
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
Re: Bike of Theseus
Pete Jack wrote: Ah well. Nothing new under the sun.
There is on your bike
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
Re: Bike of Theseus
Intersting philosophical question.
I don't know the answer.
I don't know the answer.
Re: Bike of Theseus
Pete Jack wrote:The profound philosophical question arises, am I riding a Trek 520 or something else?
Many of the cells in your body die off and are replaced with new ones every few days, weeks, months or years. Are you the same person you were 10 years ago or someone different?
And the somewhat less philosophical question is it time I bought something new?
N+1 dear boy, N+1 !
Re: Bike of Theseus
there is a more important question? since I doubt you have any cells left in your body you had when you were say 1 year old, are you still the same person?
Re: Bike of Theseus
Indeed. We're none of us what we used to be. Thank God.mercalia wrote:there is a more important question? since I doubt you have any cells left in your body you had when you were say 1 year old, are you still the same person?
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
Re: Bike of Theseus
mercalia wrote:there is a more important question? since I doubt you have any cells left in your body you had when you were say 1 year old, are you still the same person?
If that were true you would definitely not be the same person - you'd be dead. Brain cells do not refresh, they just die off while cardiac cells refresh at less than 1% per annum. The rest though do turn over in periods that range from days to weeks, months or years..
Re: Bike of Theseus
Neither do I, but I've been doing a "Grandfather's Axe" with bikes since I first played with spanners.Sooper8 wrote:Intersting philosophical question.
I don't know the answer.
Mick F. Cornwall
Re: Bike of Theseus
TonyR wrote:mercalia wrote:there is a more important question? since I doubt you have any cells left in your body you had when you were say 1 year old, are you still the same person?
If that were true you would definitely not be the same person - you'd be dead. Brain cells do not refresh, they just die off while cardiac cells refresh at less than 1% per annum. The rest though do turn over in periods that range from days to weeks, months or years..
1-4% for cardiac tissue - I didn't know that... https://www.mpg.de/7634230/heart-stem-cells
And the hippocampus does continuously add cells to the brain - good for memory building.
But general replacement isn't on the cards...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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Re: Bike of Theseus
Read Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman for a convincing demonstration of the effects of quantum exchange between the bicycle's saddle and the cells of the policeman's bottom. The policeman becomes part bicycle, the bicycle part policeman.
This hypothesis could usefully be tested on Steve Abraham, who spent 51% of every hour in 2015 in the saddle. The effect should be so well marked that it can be measured by conventional instruments.
Apply this to the OP, and it could be argued that sufficient Trek 520 cells had been interchanged with the rider that they could be re-transmitted to successor components. Thus there would always remain, albeit progressively diminished with each component generation, some residual Trek 520 identity to cherish.
This hypothesis could usefully be tested on Steve Abraham, who spent 51% of every hour in 2015 in the saddle. The effect should be so well marked that it can be measured by conventional instruments.
Apply this to the OP, and it could be argued that sufficient Trek 520 cells had been interchanged with the rider that they could be re-transmitted to successor components. Thus there would always remain, albeit progressively diminished with each component generation, some residual Trek 520 identity to cherish.
Re: Bike of Theseus
Having studied Philosophy at university , I seem to recall this dilemma in it's various iterations.
The 'answer' when applied to humans, is something to do with memory- although ironically I can't quite remember exactly what was said and by whom after all these years.
The 'answer' when applied to humans, is something to do with memory- although ironically I can't quite remember exactly what was said and by whom after all these years.
Re: Bike of Theseus
[XAP]Bob wrote:1-4% for cardiac tissue - I didn't know that... https://www.mpg.de/7634230/heart-stem-cells
I think that is a misquote in the article you link and should be 1 - 0.4%. The study from which the numbers derive is. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/324/5923/98.abstract
Re: Bike of Theseus
ChrisButch wrote:... Thus there would always remain, albeit progressively diminished with each component generation, some residual Trek 520 identity to cherish.
Not so much the Bike of Theseus as a form of Bicycle Homeopathy .
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade