BY LETTER
Soul-Divisionists
The belief that the soul is divided into smaller portions during the process of mind-state duplication. |
 Image from Bernd Helfert |
A creed or religion whose members believe that the act of mind-state copying produces multiple copies of the original transcendental spirit or soul. Soul-Divisionists believe that the essence of the soul is not increased by the act of copying, but rather divided so that both the original and the copies have a proportion of the original 'soul-stuff' and both are therefore diminished by the process. Only by dedicated and prolonged spiritual endeavour can the divided souls become fully developed once more.
This position is in contrast to the 'Multiplication of Identities' doctrine held by most Etodist sects, which states that each copy receives a full and complete soul that is momentarily identical to the original, although the soul will change afterwards into a new and unique entity.
Soul Divisionism also contrasts with the beliefs of the One Soul Movement, who hold that only the original sophont retains a soul during the process of copying, although the copied individual may inherit a soul later if the first body dies. It is also in contrast to the materialist position which holds that the concept of 'soul' has no meaning outside a poetic or metaphorical context.
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Development Notes
Text by Steve Bowers
Initially published on 11 November 2004.
Initially published on 11 November 2004.
