Philosophical thoughts about the identity of the artwork: The example of the ship of Theseus.
On April 15 2019, the city of Paris lived a true tragedy for its cultural patrimony. The cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, symbol of the Romanesque architecture that had inspired so many authors such as Victor Hugo with his masterpiece The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, was burning. The fire lasted for fifteen hours and destroyed a big part of Notre-Dame's frame and its spire. French people, touched by this lost, gathered a lot of money to rebuild Notre-Dame but this tragical event asked an important question: How should we rebuild Notre-Dame?
For sure, one of the great power in Notre-Dame architecture was that the materials and the technique used to make this monument had continued for centuries. And changing that was in a way, changing the deep identity of Notre-Dame. But nowadays, it's impossible to rebuild the cathedral with the exact same materials and the same technique. All this will now be 21st century materials and technique even if the idea, the concept of Notre-Dame is still there.
This question reminds us an old thought experiment told by Plato and Heraclitus: the story of the ship of Theseus. Theseus was a mythical hero who had a beautiful ship to make epic and successful battles across the Antique world. Here's the thought experiment: Imagine that the ship of Theseus is kept in a museum. Time goes by and inexorably, a wooden plank of the ship begins to rot so you decide to restore it by replacing it with a new one. And you replace a second plank that started to rot. In a few years, hou have replaced every single piece of Theseus's ship. Now imagine that with the old pieces of the ship you create a replica of the ship. Which one of the two ships is the ship of Theseus? Is it the brand new ship proudly exposed in the museum, or is it the one you made with the old materials that Theseus touched with his hands?
This is a tough paradox because neither of the two explanations is fully satisfying. If Theseus would have to say which one is his ship, he would probably said the new one exposed in the museum, it looks more like the one he has in his memories and it's functional, he could sail again with this ship, unlike the old one. But the old one is the exact same that Theseus knew, it's just getting older. Nevertheless, isn't that the power, the aura of an artwork, to be a witness of the time flying, like a lighthouse in a sea, where everything changes?
These two conceptions of identity are both interesting but how could it help us with our Notre-Dame problem. It's certain that Victor Hugo would be like Theseus if he could see the state of Notre-Dame today. Actually, it seems to me important to build this cathedral again, it's the only way to show future people the aspect of a masterpiece that has inspired the artists of the past and that is unique. This fire is a part of Notre-Dame story but it's important, like a living body, to restore it to be this monument again.
The question of identity is a very interesting and complex one and using the ship of Theseus thought experiment to question the "new" (?) Notre Dame's identity is really pertinent. I don't remember the story in exactly the same way, but I think there have been so many different follow-up questions from it that it does not matter (I thought the old planks were potentially used to build another ship but not a replica). Indeed, some will say if it is recreated in exactly the same way, albeit with new material, then it is the same cathedral. After all, the cells of my body are constantly renewed, yet I would think I remain the same me. On the other hand, a…
In the same spirit, I recently asked myself about graffiti on monuments. I visited the Château de Vincennes. It was once a prison and many prisoners have engraved messages on the walls. Along a lengthy corridor, visitors also engraved their names and messages. I was shocked at the time, finding this process degrading for this historical monument. But then I thought that this monument is also kept alive by these visitors who left a trace on it. So my opinion on the subject is no longer clear-cut. It is certain that they cannot be allowed on paintings, hangings etc... But on bare stone walls? Aren't the current traces future historical traces?
Notre-Dame of Paris raises the eternal question of imitation. In the necessity to rebuilt there is a memory concern indeed, but calls also a mourning process. The breath of past is definetly lost in the flames. To rebuilt identically can only be a tribute.
Soul is dead, life the soul! The tremendous work which will be operated today can not revive the dead soul but will create a new one that belongs to master builders of 21th century. It's a new act of creation that is being played not a duplication. Thank you and congratulations for your blog. Anouk
I like a much your blog and I want to say :
Men to preserve their old age and repair physical problems call for aesthetics and surgery. For monuments, it is the same. They need to be maintained, to give them a makeover in order to preserve them. Over time the monument can suffer from modifications due to the vagaries of life, as is the case of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Monuments are like men; they are subjected to the effect of time, the nephaste effect of natural phenomena and or attacks in times of conflict. Still happy when they do not disappear forever after a disaster. If men die, monuments are the guardians of their souls. The soul…