X-Message-Number: 22323
From: "Harvey Newstrom" <>
Subject: Greek boat etc.
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 10:43:36 -0400

Robert Ettinger wrote,
> One of the ancient Greeks talked about a boat being repaired 
> so much that after a while all its parts were replacements.
> It is clear that no profound principle is involved--whether
> it is the "same" boat, or at what point it became a 
> different boat, is just a matter of language and agreement. 
> We can be safe by being objective and sticking to the facts
> --the quantitative approach.

This is my conclusion as well, after discussing this issue for many years on
other lists.  If I wanted to own the "same" boat that Washington used to
cross the Delaware river, I would be dismayed to discover that it had not
one single original piece yet.  But, if I wanted to own the "same" boat I
saw advertised on TV, I would prefer all new parts and not the demo model I
actually saw running.  The concept of "same" or "similar" should be thought
of as being "similar enough" or "good enough" for some specific purpose.
Since individuals have different goals in mind for uploading, they have
different ideas about what is "similar enough" or "good enough" for their
purposes.  The conclusion would have to be individually decided.  We can
agree on every concept, every action, down to every atom, and still disagree
on identity, labeling, and success on a particular upload procedure.  These
are individual choices resulting in label preferences, and not objective
facts.

-- 
Harvey Newstrom, CISM, CISSP, IAM, IBMCP, GSEC
Certified InfoSec Manager, Certified IS Security Pro, NSA-certified
InfoSec Assessor, IBM-certified Security Consultant, SANS-cert GSEC
<HarveyNewstrom.com> <Newstaff.com>

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