A mind-state is a Virtual copy of an entity's personality.[1]
Mind-states are also called souls, dynamic full-brain process inventories,[1] and - when read from a biological brain - brain-states.[2][3]
The technology to create mind-states from naturally evolved creatures has existed for billions of years prior to the 30th century CE.[4]
Function[]
Mind-states are ultimately intended to be used to create new instances of an entity, either as a Virtual entity within Virtualities, or as a Real entity through revention.[1] Inactive mind-states could be stored for extended periods of time.[5][6]
A mind-state may be duplicated, each potentially becoming a concurrent - or child - instance of the parent personality.[7][8] Each instance is a complete and independent individual.[9][8] Mind-states from different individuals may share information or even merge with each other; an individual may use this to gain the experiences from differing child instances.[7][9]
In the Culture, sapient child instances were treated as distinct individuals. They were not obligated to re-integrate - or merge back - with their parent.[10]
Mind-states may be used as personality back-ups; if the original entity is lost or killed, it may be "revived" by creating a new near-identical entity from its mind-state.[9][11]
Storing inactive mind-states is alternative to long-term Real suspended animation; this may be the only alternative if the body is destroyed.[5][6]
Creation[]
Neural laces could be designed to record a high-fidelity mind-state from its host. Laces that had years to grow with and co-exist with its host's brain could mirror the host's mind in very fine detail[1]; a mind-state could be extracted quickly from such a the lace at any time.[12][13]
A neural induction device used on a dying biological entity for a few seconds may produce a low-fidelity mind-state.[1]
The technology to record, or map, mind-states is an expected development once a civilization reaches a certain stage of development.[7]
For 24th century Culture technology, it was infeasible to quickly create a completely new mind-state from a pan-human brain in an emergency without any brain augmentations or assistance.[12][13]
The Culture attached metadata to mind-states, which included basic identification information like the entity's name. Reading mind-state's fell under the Culture taboo against reading minds without permission; without metadata, it was impossible to glean any information from the mind-state without querying an instantiation of it.[1]
Abstracts[]
A mind-state abstract is a limited non-sapient version of a mind-state[14] used as an intelligent virtual agent for specific tasks.[15][14] Abstracts are interactive enough to have conversations with.[15][14] They are superior to simpler seeker-agent programs in the intelligence role.[14]
The creation of intelligent, but ultimately disposable, mind-state abstracts was not fully accepted within the Culture for ethical reasons.[14]
See also[]
- Mimage
- Soulkeeper
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Surface Detail, chapter 5
- ↑ Excession, chapter 1.2
- ↑ Excession, chapter 10.7
- ↑ Surface Detail, chapter 7
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Look to Windward, chapter 2
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Excession, chapter 2.2
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Look to Windward, chapter 8
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Hydrogen Sonata, chapter 11
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Look to Windward, chapter 13
- ↑ The Hydrogen Sonata, chapter 18
- ↑ Excession, chapter 9.5
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Surface Detail, chapter 21
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Hydrogen Sonata, chapter 21
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Excession, chapter 7.1
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Excession, chapter 1.3