Intergalactic Summit

Cloning is something to be embraced, not feared or speculated upon, at least in my order because the original genetics are not the result of a soulless construct. It goes the same way with most implantations. As long as the original genetic material is not abomination, there is no reason to think of a clone as anything other than the original.

I am a clone of Evelyn Meiyi; I posess all of her memories, and all of her experiences. Would the 'original' (dare I call her my template?) have made the same choices I make on a daily basis? Would she have the same taste in music, or art? Would she have the same moral or philosophical outlook?

Moreover, who has the greater claim to being the 'original' or the 'real' Evelyn? We're physically and mentally identical in every way possible, so in truth, both of us could be said to have an equal claim in that regard, with the one possible mitigating factor being that she was natural-born, while I was constructed from biomass and force-grown in a vat.

In that sense, then, I am not the 'real' Evelyn Meiyi any more than you are the 'original' Boma Airaken.

If I were a spiritual man, I'd remark upon the wonder of my ancestors believing in souls for thousands of years... and finding that belief personally validated in modern day... in data form.

After all, what is the soul but information? For millenia we believed in some immaterial spark that made us, us... and here it is, that very spark, isolated, transmittable via fluid router, recordable to a variety of media, able to imbue a lifeless husk with the spark of individual life.

I am not a spiritual man, but I am a practical man. Something tells me that owning a database of many souls is going to be a powerful asset.

Would anyone like to sell me theirs? I'm sure we can come to an... arrangement...

And there is the problem. Iron sharpens iron, and men sharpen men. An organization of identical individuals, who think the same, who act the same, with identical strengths and weaknesses, would have massive blind-spots and holes, fatal flaws in any intelligence organization. Nature favors variety, and over-specialization and lack of diversity invariably leads to extinction.

The way I see it I am me, and by "I" I mean my mind, my intellectual dataset.

We are the sum of our experiences and deaths. You do something stupid, you die, you wake in a vat and have a bill to discourage repetition. Evelyn, I think you are as much you as your "god born" self for the simple fact that you have the same mind, memories and experiences that the Evelyn "prime" had.

The problems, however, come from a lack of continuity in these "Identity datasets." As others have stated, as soon as you have two identical versions of yourself and something happens, anything at all, you stop existing. The two child entities are no longer you as they no longer can say that they have had the same experiences.

I have always been permiscuious and a bit of a smart-aleck in my out of pod life and moving from clone to clone has never changed that. If something where to happen to me that changed these behavors I would still be me... but if there where two active versions of me what if the same where to happen? Would both of me change? Would one but not the other? Who then would be me and who someone new?

We are not a quantum wave function of what can be, we are what happened. We are tangible. As soon as that line blurs, we are no more.

You are either the sum of your experiences, or you are not. There's no real "blurry line" potential there.

Duplication of an individual creates two identities that will be, from that moment on, two distinct and separate individuals. A term often used to explain this is a "fork". Currently, this is against CONCORD regulations, for obvious moral and ethical reasons, let alone legal and civil considerations.

To me, philosophy does not enter into the equation, aside from addressing issues of pure logic. From an emotional perspective why would you want to have a duplicate of you running around? What would be the purpose? Even if they looked different on the outside, it's not an easy thing to come to terms with.

I don't need another me around. I avoid the necessity of jump cloning, though other applications of cloning technology are far more fascinating. A new body, a new identity, a new and fresh perspective... no, there's plenty of "me" in the universe. To think otherwise would simply be narcissism and potentially unethical (or immoral). I know exactly how much of a pain in the posterior I can be, and I'd rather not have to deal with the backlash of a slightly different (and potentially more fun and exciting) version of me making me rue the day I ever took part in it's creation.

As to clones, I am comfortable with the current process. Ethical considerations seem to be adequately addressed. I don't want to think about the next "step", because honestly, I'm not done having fun on this one. I haven't begun to scratch the surface of possibilities. Same goes for the above "if I had a clone" question.

That's just my personal "philosophy" though, if you could even call it that. Seems to work pretty well so far.

Oh, and Istvaan, rogue geneticists are easy to find. It's finding one that is both rogue-ish and ethical that is an issue.

No offense taken. To be honest, I was exaggerating slightly.

My point is simple though: I don't need another me around. I'm simply not that curious about the experience, and aside from that, what's the real purpose? I'm sure Istvaan Shogaatsu could use a few dozen copies for a wide range of nefarious schemes, and that is a good reason not to allow such a thing in general.

Knowing the limits to which this could potentially be taken and the limits it could bend (and outright break), there is absolutely no ethical reason for this to be done. Even limited use of similar technologies (mind state emulation through any number of technologies, for instance) could still present the same ethical concerns (if not in fact many, many more).

Am I afraid of another me? Not in the way you think. I am afraid of what I would be capable of if certain limitations were removed. As the old adage goes, "power corrupts". As ethical as I consider myself now, I don't think I would be able to not abuse such technology. I know for a fact that you would. Your past speaks for itself, Istvaan Shogaatsu. It is an example of what humanity is capable of.

Not everything we are capable of is nice. That does not make it inherently wrong, mind you, but I believe that the concerns regarding the use of multiple clones are valid. I think we both know that they are valid, and we both know that if you had the opportunity you would take advantage of it.

Thank the Maker that such technology is not available, non?

Quaint. Now that you've shown interest, let's take a step further, shall we?

In my opinion cloning is neither good nor bad. It is a tool. I have stated my reasons as to why going beyond what is currently acceptable--or wantonly using the tools available--could be a bad idea.

Now, your turn. How do you see it as inherently bad? Were you simply making a poor attempt at making light of the topic, or do you have an opinion of your own?

I have a feeling I know the answer, but I do enjoy being pleasantly surprised.