Vern has been bringing his old Volvo for servicing at Grace's Garage for many years. Unknown to Vern, Grace kept every single part that she replaced. Every time Vern dented a wing or a door, the panel was replaced by a new one. What Vern didn't know was that a couple of decades later Grace had Vern's entire original car in the form of a heap of (still usable) parts hidden in the back of her garage.
So which is Vern's Volvo, the one he's been driving for 20 years, or the heap of parts? Why?
What if, instead of having only the parts, Grace actually used those parts to create (or recreate) the Volvo? Would that be, somehow, a different issue? Explain your thinking.
Understanding that both cannot simultaneously be Vern's Volvo, explain which is Vern's Volvo in a series of well-developed and logical paragraphs. Give specific reasons why you have reached your conclusion and be sure to address why the other conclusion is NOT possible.
So which is Vern's Volvo, the one he's been driving for 20 years, or the heap of parts? Why?
What if, instead of having only the parts, Grace actually used those parts to create (or recreate) the Volvo? Would that be, somehow, a different issue? Explain your thinking.
Understanding that both cannot simultaneously be Vern's Volvo, explain which is Vern's Volvo in a series of well-developed and logical paragraphs. Give specific reasons why you have reached your conclusion and be sure to address why the other conclusion is NOT possible.
What we can call Verns Volvo is the one that he is currently driving and has been for 20 years, not the heap of parts.
In terms of ownership, I would have to say that Vern’s Volvo would be the one that he has been driving for 20 years. When Vern had his Volvo fixed by Grace, he relinquished his claim on those parts. Now, all they are, or can be called, is heap of parts. Not only that, but Grace’s heap of parts. Logically, how can the car that Vern is driving now, be called something other than Vern’s Volvo? It cannot, that is the answer. For example, when a baby changes and grows into an adult, do we not still call it by the same name? Is it not the same person, just aged and matured? Like the baby, Vern’s Volvo has “evolved” and has acquired new parts, but its original being (i.e. the engine) is still there, and always will be (unless, there are some extraordinary circumstances and exceptions).
This however does not mean that those parts can not still be called Vern’s. The car’s identity or essence is twofold. Its previous owner, Vern, no longer has need of the parts, while Grace does. In the past, they were Vern’s, now in the present, they are Grace’s. Now, if Grace used those parts to recreate the Volvo, the conclusion, or rather my conclusion, is still the same. From what we can see, physically, it is a recreation of Vern’s, old Volvo, but this car, unlike the other one, has not been used by Vern, therefore, the fundamental nature of Vern is and never was there, like it will always be in the car that Vern is now, currently driving.
Whether legally or not, when Vern had his Volvo repaired by Grace, he willingly gave up his hold on those certain parts. One could even argue, that in light of certain facts, they were never his to begin with. However that is irrelevant to the topic at hand. Vern's Volvo is the one he is currently driving, and the heap of parts are Grace's.
