An introduction to the philosophical puzzle of material constitution. How is it that material (i.e. physical) things make up other material things? Can two different things occupy the same place at the same time?
Famous examples of this puzzle include the ship of Theseus, Tib and Tibbles, and the lump of clay.
This philosophical topic land squarely in the branch of philosophy known as metaphysics. Material constitution is an example of the sort of philosophical puzzles one might encounter in a college-level metaphysics course, or introduction to philosophy course.