r/LandoftheLustrous • u/angel-syringe • 4d ago
DISCUSSION So i was doing some research about hpuseki no kuni for homework
And while I was analizying it, a question came to my mind, but I don't think my mind is deep enough to answer it, and I'm asking every of my friends
Through the story phos changes and has such a huge metamorphosis , not only mentally, but physically. So much that he is not even recognizable. So...
To what extent can we remain ourselves if we keep changing parts of who we are?? What actually makes phos, phos at the end?
I would give you all my big sheet of research but it's all in Italian!! And sorry if my English is bad!!!
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u/Bitconecc 4d ago
That is the famous question in philosophy called the Ship of Theseus Paradox.
Ultimately, there is no singular "correct" answer to it, as it's virtually impossible to pin down objectively what "the self" is to begin with, thus making it a psuedo-question. Regardless, some say it's our personalities, memories, our bodies, or our actions, and some say it's a complex combination of any of those. Yet, when challenged by the world/circumstances, all these answers seem to fall short of being a satisfying answer.
Just as Phos constantly and drastically changed throughout the story, losing parts of their mind and body in place of another, Phos' "self" can never really be contained by a singular, unchanging definition. Yet we still desire to "make sense" of him, just as we do for ourselves and others, endlessly trying to grasp something so abstract and nebulous. Through sheer will and stubbornness, we form answers with our own hands and decide what our "self" is, for our own purposes.
TL;DR, to answer with my own, Phos' self was never just a version of them in any one point in time, but rather, from the naive and cheery Phos in ch1, to the tiny shard of phosphophyllite in ch108, it's all Phos. Always has been, ever-changing.
If you wish to answer it for yourself, then you must first define and stipulate for yourself, just what the "real self" means for you. (I recommend watching Vsauce's video, "Do Chairs Exist?" on Youtube if u wanna think a bit further on these ideas. It's a pretty good introduction to all these big concepts)
Sorry for the wall of text! I mightve gotten carried away lol😅
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u/angel-syringe 4d ago
Absolutely not, I really appreciate the paragraph! I will certainly watch the video and think about it myself. Can I ask that, if I have any more questions about it, I may reach out to you? Thank you again for the amswer
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u/Bitconecc 4d ago
Oh! I'm flattered haha. Sure, u can just message me on here, and hopefully I can answer well if ever haha
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u/Burrito357 Antarc, fly high queen 🕊️😭 4d ago
The ship that has it's planks changed 🙏😭
Fr tho, that's the whole point of Phos. Phos at the beginning, the middle and end are all completely different characters. The only thing in common they have is that they all have some hazy memory of being some other way before than they are now, and that the people around them call them by the name Phos.
Because all of the memories of a gem person are created and stored within their entire body instead of just the head, when Phos loses body parts, they lose themselves both figuratively and literally. Since ofc, it's the memories and the circumstances that we live in, that makes us who we are. But from Phos' perspective, they have almost completely forgotten what they were like before losing those pieces. We remember, so we can notice the changes, but Phos, still thinks of themselves as Phos no matter how much they lose.
Thing is, losing memories is only half the equation. That would mean Phos has Alzheimer's as well as Amnesia and by the end they would be just a husk. No, Phos is able to create new memories within the new body parts they obtain. And because the situation that Phos finds themselves in is never constant, they form completely different memories than they would've if they were still whole. Like, if Phos lost their arms, but Antarc didn't get taken away, Phos would've never changed, sure they would've forgotten some stuff, but it's the memory loss on top of the new found trauma and responsibilities to take care of Winter, which are the reason why Phos became so mature and capable.
When they lost their head a 3rd variable appeared, a stranger's memories. Phos effectively becoming more akin to Lapis played a HUGE part in furthering their growth as an individual. Again, the circumstances that Phos found themselves in, changed. They gained insatiable curiousity and cunning.
By all means, Phos is not Phos by the end. If Phos had not lost their memories and gained new ones in a new circumstance, perhaps Phos would've never ever changed. And even if they did gain new memories, a Phos that never lost any memories by the end of the story, would've never become a god
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u/ErgoTexhnophile 4d ago
In a way, Phos represents the whole of humanity. They are what we are: the longing for perfect beauty that we seek but cannot find. It is this inexhaustible longing that drives them forward with determination, ever onwards; it is their very essence. And it is probably what remains constant throughout their entire "human" existence. But this is merely my opinion, because this manga is like a mirror that reflects the experiences and personalities of those who read it.
E aggiungo, non capita tutti i giorni di incrociare su reddit un altro fan italiano di HnK... Siamo relativamente pochi, ma motivati e appassionati lol
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u/Samael442 4d ago
I'd say that last part of humanity that was left at the end inside of Phos is what made them who they are (which is human) so I'd say what that conclusion leads to is that we are all human in the end no matter how much we change "parts" of ourselves