Paradox

144 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PARADOXFour-dimensionalists do not have a complete solutionto the problem of material constitution. They cannot findany difference between Lumpl and Goliath because theyperfectly coincide. Sort-relativists are more comprehensive.They say Lumpl and Goliath peacefully coexist. They differin whether they would continue to exist if they lost a littlematter (Goliath would, Lumpl would not) and if theirmatter were drastically rearranged (Lumpl would, Goliathwould not).Even those who have no theoretical position on personalidentity can have doubts about the identity principle. Theslogan “Same parts, same object” will be rejected by anyonewho thinks that an object can be permanently destroyed bybeing temporarily disassembled.There are religious implications. Catholics believe thatthey will be resurrected on Judgment Day. Although ourbodies will have disintergrated, God will gather up ourscattered remains and reassemble us. Doubters have askedwhy a man who is assembled from Lazarus’s parts is Lazarusrather than a duplicate of Lazarus.Incidentally, Thomas Aquinas showed that Catholicsneed to take the further step of not requiring God to use thevery same parts in the reassembly process. If a cannibal babygrows up on a pure diet of human remains, then how is Godto resurrect the pure cannibal on Judgment Day? There arenot enough parts to go around. Aquinas’s solution permits theresurrector to use different particles than those originallycomposing the individual—just as long as the same kind ofmatter is employed.Aquinas’s liberalism is also required by Star Trek fanswho want character continuity. Most of the crew contentedlyuse the transporter. It disassembles you and almost instantly