Intergalactic Summit

An interesting topic. While two deaths were unavoidable throughout the course of my life, aside from those, I've avoided cloning - a rather remarkable feat, considering my time in the capsule.

I would consider it however, if that pesky law prohibiting the inhabitation of two or more simultaneously conscious clones were revoked - I could be so much more productive with a dozen copies of me running about.

I'm willing to believe that every mind is unique in it's own sense. Altough as with the old tales about the Jovian Disease, there is a limit to everyone. I'm quite confident that ones mind would simply choose insanity after a brief afterthought on the matter.



Same thing over there. Questions arises of the limit of our minds capacity to comprehend the duality.

Still.. We'll never know if it isn't accomplished.

I'm not a philosopher by any stretch of the word, at least I don't consider myself one.

To touch upon the topic, it would seem that the inevitable data fragmentation and data loss that occurs when transferring to another clone will lead to dementia, insanity or other mental disorders over a period of time. This would seem to suggest that the capsuleers who are "killed" the most will deteriorate into a state of insanity and/or dementia at an accelerated rate.



Not only would you be breaking a significant number of interstellar laws and regulations, you'd be introducing an unnecessarily chaotic element into the cluster with the potential for a great deal of emotional and physical damage. You would also have to consider the mental instability of the activated clone of a person who has not fully transferred their mind to the clone, the data would likely be terribly fragmented and distorted. Theoretically, the mind of the second individual would attempt to fill in any gaps in information with fabricated supplements or simply seizure when forced to access areas of the mind where there is no data. The result would be an entirely different person with the same appearance, likely suffering from a number of mental disorders, personality disorders and identity crisis.

I find myself in complete agreement with Istvaan Shogaatsu. The process of copying a mind does not funnel the information from one body to another, it creates a facsimile. The original (or 'original') body involved in the process is then terminated, so as to apply with current CONCORD law.

If you ceased to terminate the body upon the transfer of information, you would have two full copies of one infomorph running around, who would then and only then diverge into seperate individuals.

Even an exact data replication process will yield differences from the original to the copy, anyone who deals with programming knows this. There are always random strings of code that appear and disappear between copies, elements that change because of the writing process and so on. It is honestly impressive that only 0.01% of information gets scrambled or lost in the repeated process.

While you are both correct in your assessments, it is these "ghosts" within data, these random strings and elements of chaos that could yield unexpected results, including how one clone would react to seeing its exact replica. In such a case, would they become violent? Would they be overtly curious? Would they see potential for power and gain? A number of different base reactions could occur from one clone to another, even if the copied data were exactly the same.

If you wish to test the basis of my theory, then place two identical robots under the same conditions, expose them to various threats and dangers to their programming and watch the differences in how they respond. Their programming and data are exactly the same but their responses are not, because data does not possess impregnable integrity.

I direct your attention to the title of this thread, Thessalonia.

However, we would agree on the greater majority of what you've said.

Ah Thessalonia, you needn't apologize, it was an attempt at candidness.

Besides, any good philosophy involves science and rationality.

I can vow for that.


Reading others thoughts on the subject, it becomes clear that the majority of those in the discussion would become more or less delighted if CONCORD would drop the law that prohibits us from literally copying ourselves to certain degrees.

Personally, I wouldn't count on it. Also, I wouldn't want to imagine a galaxy with a horde of Istvaans pleasuring themselves or maybe a legion of Tiberious´ planning some horrofying mass birthday parties inbetween their path to some world domination..
I may even be too egoistical in the end to have a cloned Ordo that may or may not consider me as an competitor.
Still, the thought is very intriguing and as I said before - I would like to see action before making assumptions. I'm too much of a scientist for that.

If it would come to it: How would control be maintained?
Should there be any criteria for being allowed to "mass-clone" oneself? Should we only rely on the personality traits that the given person has to allow them to do this copying. Ensuring us that this person is sane enough to handle two more of itself?

It sounds like it would get out of balance quite immediately given our 'modern' societies and their way of perceiving life these days.

Oh, certainly, assuming you have the proper precautions in place. It seems almost a given that you're capable of outwitting yourself, if need be: though were it me, I'd be cautious about how big a handful I'd let any of them have from my mental candy jar.

Trusting myself is difficult enough. Trusting another one of me to act in my best interests instead of hers? Bah.

Corin once said that the greatest enemy one can face is yourself