> Just because nobody bothered yet to define a rigorous mental model of 'Ship of Theseus' doesn't mean such a model doesn't exist in principle. Bothered to? M

> Just because nobody bothered yet to define a rigorous mental model of 'Ship of Theseus' doesn't mean such a model doesn't exist in principle. Bothered to? MY good man, giants have attempted, and failed. — you speak as though no one attempted, rather than that many have, and none could. > (In fact, the job of programmers is exactly that - to define rigorous models for things that nobody bothered to define before.) The difference being that they generally succeed and when after millennia of attempts none have, tend to acknowledge that it probably cannot be done.