Intergalactic Summit

It does actually serve a purpose anyway - I receive the benefit of being able to externalise my thought process and thereby come to a greater understanding of the subject, analyse my own arguments, see which ones stand up and which ones are flawed.

It's amazing how much you can learn about chemistry by trying to teach it to a pig.

You know, I bet if you tried you could compress that contradiction down into a single sentence. Although you were impressively quick about it anyway.

You're right, the genes encoding your phenotype are an absolutely miniscule proportion of the human genome. But this miniscule proportion is what I was focusing on throughout. The entire intent of my statement is that my phenotype if you wish to be technically precise, is not relevant

You see, outside of the phenotype, there are not even a handful of significant genetic differences between Calari and Gallente. In fact the only two I can think of right now are that most ethnically Civire and Deteis people can safely metabolise the Kresh toxin, and most Gallente can metabolise lactose.

We are, in short, the same damn species. Our biggest differences are cultural, idealogical and philosophical, not genetic.

The fact that I have a square jaw, dark hair and pale skin are by FAR the biggest genetic differences separating me from a red-haired, tan-skinned, high-cheekbone'd Gallentean neighbour. These differences are greatly less significant than the fact that my ideals are meritocratic and collectivist, whereas theirs will probably be democratic and individualist.

You said it yourself - the phenotype is a tiny and insignificant part of the genome. Given that it is only the phenotype which actually distinguishes the difference between any two ethnic groups, it follows that the difference between ethnic groups is also tiny and insignificant.

Ergo, it is our philosophies, opinions, decisions and ethics that define us, not the smallest and most meaningless part of our genome.

Indeed, though the differences between ethnic groups are so minute that if I were to, for example, have myself a genetically Thukker body assembled and were to move into it for a year, I very much doubt there would be any detectable difference in my personality after one year that was statistically distinguishable from the changes brought on by simply being alive for one year.

Not that I plan to try such an experiment. I'm not that liberal.

No-no-no. Differences simply can't be localized in such tiny area. They are spread all across the whole genome (ref: "Basic Biochemistry for Foot Soldiers"). Of course, in some places changes are minimal, in others - much greater concentration. But would you agree, that all differences just simply can't by some sort of magic localize in a specified area of genome, the only one, that we can see? We look different because it is the small part of changing genome is seen. Much more differences are left unseen.

How your phenotypes are different, your other functions differ as well. Although in terms of sequences these differences are tiny and minimal, they still form your phenotype, they form rate of chemical reactions, catalyzed by your enzymes. Even a single aminoacid in enzyme can change reaction rate greatly, making it faster or slower. Or completely stopping it.
Visual differences is only the tip of the iceberg.

Did you know that your clones don't have your DNA until you've been in them for a while? Fun fact. I don't really understand it either, but that's the reason we can use basically any spare biomass for a clone.

It also sort of indicates that the infomorph has a lot more importance to physicality than we previously assumed. It was thought that your DNA indicated, at least in part, who you were, but there appears to be something about who you are that sets your DNA, and we just weren't able to see the causal relationship in the correct direction until we figured out how to pull our minds out of our bodies and stick them in some new meat.

A whole new meaning to mind over matter?

I didn't know that, and I retract my remarks.

I have managed to read some of that! It is a lovely little overview, though perhaps a little odd in the topics it chooses to focus on. Good for you, for pursuing a rounded education! If you like the Foot Solder Science series, I would be happy to loan you some of my own. The ones that were gifted to me are:

Basic Linguistics for Foot Solders: The Speech Hierarchy
Basic Physics for Foot Soldiers: Beyond Boot Camp
Basic Logic for Foot Soldiers: When Two Wrongs Make Right
Basic Economics for Foot Soldiers: Spoils of War
Basic Sociology for Foot Soldiers: Behaviours of Victory
Basic Evolution for Foot Soldiers: Descent of Man
Basic Politics for Foot Soldiers: The Wages of Hedonism

As it seems apparent that pilot Kim is incapable of research, we shall endeavour to explain in simple terms.

Todo Kirkinen, CEO of Zainou Biotech does not have a biological form, yet he retains conciousness and the ability to control the aforementioned corporation.

CONCORD scientists successfully created a codebreaker module that incorporated the apparently still living head of a sansha true slave.

These are two direct instances where the mind of an entity continued to function without the body.
Therefore our simple statement refuting your somewhat strange claim that the mind requires a body to think was correct.
Our statement did not require an argument as it was simply a fact.

We would also question your theory with a hypothetical query of our own.
Pilot Kim, given that you claim that a mind without a body cannot think, do you believe that the intelectual capacity of a mind decrease if it's body loses a limb?

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