I don’t think that’s the kind of linguistic trickery it is. It’s more like:
The dead person’s body exists, but the dead person’s mind/consciousness no longer does. If you equivocate by calling both of those things “the person”, then they seem to simultaneously be dead and not dead. If you stop equivocating, the problem goes away.
That’s a good point, but it’s not a solution (so much as a repitition) of the problem. How is it possible that prisoners can escape? Or that ships can sink?
I’m not saying I actually doubt that ships can sink, prisoners can escape, and people can die. That would be insane. My problem is that I have a hard time denying the force of the argument.
It’s linguistic trickery, like saying prisoners can’t escape because if they escape they’re not really prisoners now are they?
I don’t think that’s the kind of linguistic trickery it is. It’s more like:
The dead person’s body exists, but the dead person’s mind/consciousness no longer does. If you equivocate by calling both of those things “the person”, then they seem to simultaneously be dead and not dead. If you stop equivocating, the problem goes away.
That’s a good point, but it’s not a solution (so much as a repitition) of the problem. How is it possible that prisoners can escape? Or that ships can sink?
I’m not saying I actually doubt that ships can sink, prisoners can escape, and people can die. That would be insane. My problem is that I have a hard time denying the force of the argument.