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Metamortalism
Mortalists
Image from Steve Bowers and Artbreeder AI
Jean-Cyclene Packenham, a Metamortalist historian who is dedicated to the preservation of his cultural history. Unlike most citizens of the Terragen Sphere, Packenham is growing old naturally, and will eventually die of natural causes (barring accidents). However he believes that his culture itself can be regarded as a potentially immortal superindividual.
A belief system which rejects modern forms of immortality such as life extension and backup technology. Metamortalists are adherents to the Continuity Identity theory, and believe that copying and engeneration results in a completely unrelated consciousness, so their population numbers are relatively small compared to many other factions.

Many metamortalists believe that the written, spoken, sung and otherwise transmitted culture(s) that they belong to constitute a superindividual or metaindividual which is potentially immortal and possibly even conscious. For this reason they often utilise all available media and recording technology to ensure the postulated metaindividual is as complete as possible, by permanently recording their own culture, thoughts and experiences in great detail. The creation of fine art of various kinds is very important to metamortalists, and detailed lifelogging is widespread.

One of the most respected and influential occupations among Metamortalists is that of historian; a non-trivial number of influential historians on Ken Ferjik have been Metamortalists, although they are short-lived compared to other inhabitants of that system.

(mainly found in the Mutual Progress Association, Sophic League, Communion of Worlds and the Terragen Federation)
 
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Appears in Topics
Cultures and Sub-CulturesPhilosophyReligion
 
Development Notes
Text by Steve Bowers
Initially published on 06 December 2002.

 
 
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