It is not specifically because things like ISBN exist to allow us to differentiate between different publications ( instance of publishing) of the same title.

It is not specifically because things like ISBN exist to allow us to differentiate between different publications ( instance of publishing) of the same title. Pretty much all institutional publishing is centered around cuts of a produced work getting a serial number. This mechanism by which further edits on a work happen without being tracked is a grave threat to library science/archival practice. Our very way of organizing information in a way that lets us keep our facts straight as a public is at stake. It should be obvious why this is a bad thing.