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The Wikipedia article on the Ship of Theseus has changed entirely since its inception.

A paradoxical thought experiment made meta: “The Same Boat,” from Greg Ross in his wonderful blog, Futility Closet.

* Euripedes, Heracles (and others, e.g., Marcus Aurelius, echoing Heraclitus)

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As we contemplate conundra, we might recall that it was on this date in 1971 that the mix was completed on David Bowie’s “Changes,” which had been recorded nine days earlier at Trident Studios in London. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, it featured Rick Wakeman on piano and the musicians who would later become known as the Spiders from Mars—Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey.

“Changes” is widely considered to be one of Bowie’s best songs and has appeared on many best-of lists. His biographers have suggested that the track is a manifesto of his entire career, predicting a constant change of musical styles: the first verse focuses on the compulsive nature of artistic reinvention and distancing oneself from the rock mainstream; the second verse concerns clashes between children and their parents, urging them to allow their children to be themselves as teenagers. Bowie frequently included the song in his live performances; it was the final song he performed on stage before his death in 2016.

See Bowie perform it here.

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