Exploring identity and interconnectedness

Recently, I had the opportunity to watch the critically acclaimed film The Ship of Theseus. This cinematic masterpiece follows the intertwined lives of three characters who share a common bond – each having received an organ transplant. In the first narrative, a skilled photographer who undergoes a successful corneal transplant finds her ability to focus on her profession diminished compared to before.

A monk, engaged in a campaign against animal testing, confronts the ethical dilemma of taking medicines (which are tested on animals) after developing cirrhosis of the liver.

Subsequently, he undergoes a life-saving liver transplant. A young stockbroker, primarily interested in wealth, unexpectedly becomes involved in a social issue revolving around the theft of a kidney. Interestingly, he, too, has received a kidney transplant at some point.

Remarkably, all three characters share the same organ donor.

This premise introduces the philosophical thought experiment known as “The Ship of Theseus.” It ponders whether an individual’s identity is greater than the mere sum of their parts, in this case, organs. If all of a person’s organs were replaced by those from another individual, would their fundamental essence undergo a transformation? Metaphysics suggests that individuals who share common ethnicity, ideas, beliefs, and biases contribute to a unified collective consciousness.

The state of a nation is said to reflect the collective vibrations of identity and morality within its populace. Despite claims of staunch individualism, each of us is a composite of unhealed wounds concealed beneath the veneer of progress.

This might explain why despite great strides in science and technology, society remains plagued by issues like poverty, corruption, environmental crises and religious tensions.

Significantly, The Ship of Theseus concludes with a visual representation of Plato’s allegory of the Cave.

According to this allegory, a human being departs life mistakenly identifying the cave (analogous to their physical body) as their true identity. A proficient philosopher guides individuals to recognise their identity extending beyond mere appearances. However, the film concludes
with the haunting image of a person ensnared within a cave. Perhaps, this notion resonates with the
Indian context?