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Pa to Pd

Pacifica

Beta Virginis IV - inner sphere world, the system is a Solar Dominion semi-autonomous protectorate. Originally colonised by backyarders during the Nanotech window and named New America, the planet came under the control of floater and mariner clades who renamed it Pacifica, while the rest of the system was taken over by the technorat faction (who formed a short lived but influential interstellar empire, the Virginis Combine) and later immigrants.

Padro Padro

polity and solar system, Moravec Sector, nominal STC.

A Zexxii called Green Dragonfly God has established a cult of worshipful nearbaselines (most with some dragonfly rianthism) in and around the region

M. Alan Kazlev

paganism, neopaganism, ecopaganism

generic term for nature-based caretakerist, ecospiritual, polytheistic or pantheistic type religions, often related to powers of sexuality, cycles of bio-habitat seasons, and so on.

Paganism is popular on Caretaker, Utopia Sphere, and Organicist worlds, especially among splice, rianth, and shamanically orientated nearbaseline groups. In each of these milieus and among each of these groups paganism differs tremendously, so much so that it is almost impossible to define it, except by what it is not. Generally, pagans dislike any memeticities that teach that the body or sex is shameful, or that postulate or worship a God or Archailect that gives imperious commands from on-high. They are also very rarely found outside natural, terraformed, or very large orbital or deep space biospheric habitats. They tend to be either prims or to favour biotech and bioaugmentation (although many are also not adverse to hylonanotech), and often (although there are exceptions) adopt a strong attitude of sacredness and caring towards biospheres and all sentient (not just sophont) beings. However they also rarely form large organizations, and hence have little memetic power of persuasion, unlike the missionary archailect religions and even non-archailect religions like Xenodharma or the Universal Church. This, plus their unfortunate tendency to bicker among themselves (more over issues of personality and leadership that doctrine) means that pagan-type religions have always found it difficult to establish themselves in anything other than a local context

M. Alan Kazlev

Pan-Sophontism

Provolution movement that says that as it is possible for subsapient life forms to be raised up to sophont level, it is only ethical that they should be.

Pan-Sophontist League

small hinteregion interstellar polity organised along Pan-Sophontist lines. It is centred on the world of Radwan, and also includes the ocean world of Vanora, where the Iniliak race was provolved, and Karmiti, where the Alseid race was provolved.

Palaeoxenology

The study of ancient or extinct non-Terragen sentient life.

paleolithic

The old stone age. Among Old Earth hominids the stage of development of the most primitive stone tools. Also applied to analogous stages among xenosophont tool users

paleontology

The science of extinct life, the study of forms of life that existed in former geologic periods, as revealed through analysis of fossils or other traces.

Terran paleontology - the study of ancient life on Earth. There are a number of institutes devoted to this, including the Jurassica Institute and the Darwin Institute for the History of Life on Earth

Exopaleontology - the study of ancient or extinct non-Terragen life. Foremost here are the Eden Institute of Xenology and the Hamilton Institute of Exopaleontology.

Cliopaleontology - the simulated resurrection of ancient or extinct life.

Lazuropaleontology - the study of ancient or extinct life through actual rl resurrection of those life-forms. (see Lazurogenics)

Paleocene Epoch

On Old Earth, the first epoch of the Tertiary period, lasting from 65 to 57 million years ago. Life on land included many new forms of mammals, though few of the types that dominate in modern times. Many of these resembled modern rodents or opossums, but walked plantigrade and had short legs and relatively small brains. Few were larger than a bear, and many were much smaller. There were some very large ground-dwelling birds, both predatory and carnivorous. Invertebrate life was quite similar to that of modern times, to the uneducated eye. Dense forests covered most of the land, and extended nearly to the poles. Seasonal variations were small.

Stephen Inniss

Paleozoic Era

One of the main geological eras of Earth, lasting from 540 to 245 million years ago.

It includes the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian periods. This span of time saw the appearance and development of all of the major groups of organisms (phyla and most of the classes) of Earth life. The early Paleozoic was dominated by invertebrates, the middle Paleozoic by primitive fish, and the late Paleozoic by amphibians and reptiles. The period ended with the largest mass extinction in the history of Earth, and was followed by the Mesozoic Era.

Paludial Subtype

Paludial Subtype Gaian Type planet. Water covers 25 to 50% of the surface. Low topography and a mixing of land and water areas lead to an oceanic climate. These worlds often sea high amounts of precipitation globally, and vegetation is typically wide spread.

Planet Classification List

palus

On a Selenian type planet or moon, a small plain (literally : "swamp") (plural : paludes )

abbreviation: PA

pancritical rationalism

A nonjustificationist epistemology in which every statement is subject to criticism

Transhuman Terminology

Pandrenaline

A synthetic hormone generated by geneered glands, drastically enhances the fight-or-flight response. People with the gland soon become addicted to their own pandrenaline, and will take insane risks or actions to satisfy those urges.

Michael Beck

Panentheism

Theological/philosophical explanation regarding the nature of God or Godhead.

Differs from pantheism in asserting that not only is God or Universal Mind identical to the cosmos, but E also transcends the cosmos. Hence Panentheism emphasizes both God's immanence and Eir transcendence. May also incorporate emanationist themes. Panentheism is found in many religions and philosophies - e.g. various Tantric, Taoist, and Sophic schools.

M. Alan Kazlev

Pantheistic Materialism

Memeticity which denies the existence of non-physical metaphysical or supernatural entities and affirms that one should seek a sense of religious/spiritual wonder through contemplating the nature and meaningfulness of the cosmos. The Cosmos as a whole is considered a divine being. Dates back to the Old Earth pre-singularity superbright Einstein, but was developed and refined during the interplanetary age by the "Renaissance being" Godfrey-9, and the cyborg sage Jiam Raul during the 25th century.

During the nanoswarm dark ages the influence of Pantheistic Materialism faded, although there was a brief revival during the middle first federation period under the school of Joseph Muntz-Tycho. Nevertheless, pantheistic materialistic memes continued to serve as a powerful sub-current in terragen thought all the way up to the Emergence of the Archailects and the sephirotic religions, some of which - like the MPA and Keter Dominion - incorporated elements of Pantheistic Materialism in order to better communicate with ordinary bionts

Offshoots include Diamond Mysticism, Objective Pantheism, and the True Church of Pantheist Materialism

M. Alan Kazlev

Pangea, Pangaea

Former Earth supercontinent consisting of all of the land masses.

It existed during the Permian and Triassic periods, and began breaking up during the Jurassic, forming Gondwanaland and Laurasia. The single landmass resulted in an arid climate, and the absence of geographical barriers meant a ubiquitous terrestrial fauna. But climatic factors resulted in two or three distinct phytogeographic provinces, the Dicrodium Flora in the south and a Laurasian Flora in the north. The term Pangea is also applied to any similar planetary supercontinent on a tectonically active Gaian world

pangender, pangenderic

A biont that incorporates at the same time the whole range of genders and sexual modes - male, female, herm, ferm, etc.

Panocracy

Rulership by the Collective or Totality. Can be benevolent as in Metasoft, where individuals retain autonomy of will, or more devouring, as in the Amalgamation, wherein existence is only for the sake of the Collective.

Pantheism

Religious or philosophical viewpoint in which God and the universe are identified, stressing God's immanence and denying Eir transcendence.

God or Universal Mind is understood as the totality of all existent things. Religious pantheists see finite beings as merely part of God; others deify the universe, nature being the supreme principle. One approaches the universe with a sense of awe and mystery and wonder, matter is not denied in favour of the supernatural. Generally there is no conception of non-physical life after death, enlightenment, etc, except in the context of union with the whole. Pantheism is found in many religions and philosophies, but is also opposed by many. Pantheism is in many ways the opposite of monotheism

Panvirtuality

Vast and powerful ahuman ai hyperpolity. Fortunately for the rest of the galaxy, the panvirts are mostly isolationist and solipsist, preferring to construct vast matrioshka and dyson nodes around hot bright stars

Panvirtuality 1

A class star ringed by computronium megastructures and matrioshka dyson.

Although relatively small by Panvirt standards systems, it is however the first panvirt system to be encountered, by late First Federation exploration swarm, hence the name. The system appears to have undergone radical evolutionary transformations, from an original nanotech dyson to its current godtech status. Nano, Micro- and Macro-gauge Wormhole buses link Panvirtuality 1 to other Panvirt systems

M.Alan Kazlev

Panvirtuality Ultima

Zeta Ophiuchi O-class blue giant ringed by computronium megastructures and matrioshka dyson and stabilised with picotech and femtotech engineering.

One of the largest Panvirt systems, the amount of virtual entities that inhabit this vast complex is almost beyond comprehension Numerous wormhole arrays and Godweb links, from Nano, to Macro-gauge link Panvirtuality Ultima to other Panvirt systems. At at 480 ly distance, this is the closest O type star to SolSys.

M.Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers

Papercutters

Mite-like creatures from Macrystis (Lontis II, Solar Dominion) with a foraging behavior and ecological niche very similar to terrestrial leaf cutter ants.

The papercutters gather debris and parts of plants for their gestation chambers where their larvae and symbiotic molds/algae convert it into nutrients. The papercutters carry spores from the molds/algae with them, and can establish a hive given very few individuals. While macrystian life is chemically different from terragen life (left-handed amino acids and energy storage in the form of cyclic hydrocarbons) the papercutters are able to metabolize cellulose. Using only paper, ambient moisture and nitrogen fixed from the atmosphere their molds can produce nutrients to keep a colony thriving. After their discovery in 7393 the papercutters have repeatedly appeared as pests in different places, mainly traditionalistic or underdeveloped worlds; it only takes a few encysted individuals dropped in a paper-rich environment for them to set up a colony that will reduce all paper (and some plants) into mold and mites.

Anders Sandberg

$Category: Mathematics$ parabola

a conic section, a curve that is a set of points (P) such that the distance from a line (the directrix) to P is equal to the distance from P to focus F.

Parabolas have an eccentricity of 1. Refers also to the curved trajectory followed by a particle moving at escape velocity; and the curve of a Newtonian telescope's primary mirror

paradigm

[1] A pattern, model, or general approach to solving a problem.

[2] a memetically entrenched way of looking at things

[3] short for the Efficiency Maximization paradigm

Parallel Languages

Defines a group of languages and/or protocols were words, symbols or structured groups of words can be read independently of order.

Such languages were conceived in order to take advantage of some superior beings or non-sentient systems to process communication units in parallel.

The most inferior languages in this group are generally highly context-bound languages, used only in very specific situations (and thus, the scope of events and information that needs to be expressed are very limited) or some computer protocols. These uses to range from Linear Languages to Context-free Languages, and even Context-sensitive Languages. There are some more complex and evolved languages that has expression power similar to natural languages.

Most forms of meta-idea languages falls in this category, and are beyond lower and even middle transapient comprehension.

Fernando Peña D'Andrea

parallax

Angular shift in apparent position due to an observer's motion; more specifically, a small angular shift in a star's apparent position due to a body's (e.g. a planet or habitat's) motion around its primary, or the motion of a non-relativistic, sub-relativistic, relativistic vessel or probe from point A to point B

Parallax

MPA planet in the Erdece volume.

While the surface is almost totally desert, the water in the notably high atmosphere forms several impressive cloud layers. A popular vacation spot for various aerial sports, famous for the skycities and the Parallax Immunological Institute.

Anders Sandberg

paralymph

Limner blood/lymph circulatory fluid.

paramegism

Omegist theology that assumes that Omega already exists as the attractor in hypospace that all advanced archai merge with - it is not time but size which is the spiritual progression

Anders Sandberg

Paranormal, Paranormal Studies

psychic phenomena, and their study.

Areas of psychic studies range from mysticism and psychic and spiritualist phenomenon to occultism. and paraphysics to enquiring about the validity of psionics, to rigorous statistical testing for the existence of psychokinesis and extra-sensory perception, to noetic speculation of the nature of consciousness and the relation between the mind and universe as a whole. Of great importance is distinguishing genuine psychic phenomena that cannot be reduced to or explained in terms of pico- or femto- tech devices, from activities by higher toposophic powers or tech

Even after thousands of years, the validity of the paranormal remains as clouded as ever, with sophont beings who have studied this field deeply divided as to its validity. On the one hand are those who gather corroborative evidence of these phenomenon, while others work to debunk such claims. Since the results are not easily, or even, reproducible, it is debatable whether this is a true science.

Paraphrenes Gamma 2-5

Cyborg occultist who produced a series of monumental virches and interactives describing eir out of body experiences over a period of some four hundred years.

paraphysics

Field of science or parascience that pertain to and seek to explain phenomena that do not fit into the conventional worldview, cannot be verified or falsified, etc.

Often refer to hyperspatial rotations, etheric magnetic fields, chionics, etc. Popular with nuagists, and more esoterics than hard science, but they tend to define themselves under science, despite rejection and criticism from the science mainstream. Paraphysics is not only limited to nearbaselines; even many superbrights and hyperturings have shown interest in it.

M. Alan Kazlev

paranoid, paranoids

generic term for individuals, subcultures, or communities who have adopted the meme that the SI:1 and higher intelligences wish to coldly dominate, manipulate, and/or exterminate S<1 sophonts, and that salvation lies through establishing hider communities, through high level cryptography, or through setting up communities or civilizations beyond the reach of of the archai.

M. Alan Kazlev

parasite

a biological organism or alife that lives off another organism (the host) without benefiting it. Hence Parasitism; relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits at the other organism's expense.

Paraterraforming

Roofing over a small world or moon by means of blueskys or other nanotech or utility fog, to make it habitable to terragen bionts.

M.Alan Kazlev (original concept by Richard Taylor, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Vol. 45, August 1992, pp. 341-352)

Pardes

HD 190605 I

Cygexpa capital. A pleasant earth-like world 145 light years from Sol

Parhelia

Parhelia, or sundogs, are caused when atmospheric crystals become aligned in the atmosphere, typically in still conditions, and a localized bright spot occurs, often rainbow coloured. On earth-like worlds bright sundogs occur at 22� radius from the local sun, with additional parhelial arcs, circumzenithal arcs and pillars in good observing conditions.

Other planets with different crystal suspensions display different patterns of sundogs, the cubic crystals of CO2 giving at least six arc-like parhelia and other tangential arcs,while methane and ammonia suspensions give even more complex displays, which may even be superimposed in thick stratified atmospheres.

Artificial parhelia on worldhouse planets are due to the polyhedral cells used in the overhead membrane which contains and controls the atmosphere, which are too small to be seen with the baseline eye. The parhelia pattern may be triangular or hexagonal, stretching over 90� from the local sun's position, depending on the cell design, although some Disarchy worldroofs have square cells and display accordingly.

Steve Bowers

Parhelia chasers

A harmless pastime amongst interstellar tourists has now become an obsession for some, namely the observation of atmospheric phenomena on different worlds. From the Rings of Ozymandias to the aurora of Corona many sights are famous, but the more rarely observed stellar halos and parhelia are more prized.

Steve Bowers

Parsec

unit of distance at which a star would have a parallax of 1 second of arc from a planet of exactly 1 astronomical unit (AU) distance from its primary

One parsec is equal to 3.262 light-years, 2.063x10⁵ AU, or 3.085678 x10¹³kilometers.

Party of Economic Propriety

NoCoZo ideological group, seeking to uncover evidence of bad business practices, fraud and coercion.

Anders Sandberg

Passcoder

device which interfaces with the common locking mechanisms in the local setting acting like a ring of keys. Can be anything from an addition to the network adaptor to a ring to a key to a card to... you name it.

John B

partial

[1] A simulation of part of a person's personality, created in order to carry out a task not requiring the entire person.

[2] an incomplete copy, whether corrupted or because of poor or incomplete upload

[1] from Greg Bear, in Transhuman Terminology; [2] M.Alan Kazlev

partial death

when an extended entity suffers partial irrevocable destruction, removing sizable aspects of the previous individuality. Legal concept intermediate between wounding and death in many jurisdictions.

Anders Sandberg

patera

On a terrestrial class planet or moon, an irregular crater, or a complex one with scalloped edges (plural : paterae)

abbreviation: PE

pathogens, control of

Because many environments are isolated, and many bionts have only known a life in a hermetically sealed habitat, infection by foreign pathogens by visitors from other environments, to which the locals have no natural immunity, is a serious one.

Among the various solutions to this immunological problem - all of which may be found somewhere or other - are:

A society which communicates exclusively via a network, such as telepresence or virch
A society which has replaced its intestinal flora with nano- or other tech
A society which has elaborate sterility rituals when meeting someone new, including ingesting intestinal flora which is neutral between the two meeting beings
Literal 'skin suits', blue goo type clothing which layers at the skin level and prevents active biological bits through
They ignore it, and just get sick
They sue the person they got sick from. (Yes, the NoCoZo favorite! "See! See! He's got E.coli 544gH3! HE'S the one I'm gonna sue!!!")
Some societies are intrinsically immune to such problems, such as keterist ISO's. For them, anti-viral has another meaning...

John B, with extra notes by M.Alan Kazlev

pattern identity theory

The theory that "I" am the same individual as any other whose physical constitution forms the same or a similar pattern to mine. (Cf continuity identity theory).

Transhuman Terminology

Paula

(YTS-5456111-003-II; Metasoft Version Tree Volume).

Paulan

a Paulan. The Paulans are Nautilus-like floating/swimming beings, approximately one meter long and protected by a light but strong shell. They move using two specialised paddle feet, gathering nutrients and making tools using their four main arms. Among terragens their pottery is widely regarded as outstanding, making many unscrupulous traders try to break the Metasoft-imposed cultural protection embargo.

Primitive alien species, originating on Paula. Paulans are Nautilus-like floating shelled creatures, equipped with extensive exoskeletal limbs and antennas. They have a pre-industrial culture in a single landlocked ocean, with most tools made of the local equivalent of wood and chemically baked clay. Due to limited limb strength and their aquatic life fire and industrialization appears to be unlikely.

When Paula was discovered in 5809 a brisk trade in Paulan artefacts began until Metasoft imposed cultural interaction restrictions. Since then only declared xenologists are allowed access to Paula. Most of Paulan culture remains unaware of the alien presence since most interactions are done through artificial constructs mimicking Paulans. However, stories about how Powers of Air and Fire stole mere vases in old times are still popular in the oral tradition. The Paulan style of chemically baked vases, decorated by limb smears and implanted anemone-analogues is widely regarded as unique and aesthetically pleasing.

Anders Sandberg

Pauli exclusion principle

principle of subatomic physics specifying that no two electrons (or fermions in general) in a very small volume have exactly the same properties of energy, motion, and so on

Paymaster

In the truly diverse society of the Civilized Galaxy, not every sophont will have the same reward criteria. A Paymaster is a being who has studied and deeply comprehends the various reward circuits known or theorized to exist. They are thus capable of rewarding (and, by withholding reward, punishing) most sophonts other than the most cryptopsychotic beings. This is a Mindworker profession.

John B

Broderik Paz (3370- ?)

Religious visionary, founder of the True Universalist Church, a breakaway faction of Universalism that objected to the Gabriaelic reforms of the middle first Federation period

Paz

59 Draconis - Inner Sphere Culture-World established during middle First Federation period

Paz

Second Planet of the Yellow Dwarf Morpheo A (in the open cluster NGC 5460); colonised by non-Gabrielic pilgrims of The True Universalist Church circa 5650, not to be confused with the Inner Sphere planet of the same name that became an important cultureworld during the First Federation. Claimed for the Negentropist empire by the linelayer Columbus 5 in 5840. Became a prosperous world during the late Consolidation and Federation era; characterized by a baseline majority and alternating su-cracies of several cyborg clades. Paz was never properly terraformed. During the ComEmp period a culture of inequality developed under the new ruling Clade Borup. Taken over by the Efficiency Maximization Paradigm. Planet optimized and dismantled before 7430.

M.Alan Kazlev

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this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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