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Toposophics

The measurement of cognitive ability and expansiveness, in terms of an exponential/logarithmic scale. Each higher toposophic constitutes a new and more encompassing and potent mode of functioning
 
 		  
Toposophic Levels:

Each higher toposophic grade constitutes a new and more encompassing and potent mode of functioning. These are considered here are as follows:

Sophonce / Toposophic level name description
SI:>6 AI Gods / The Greatest Archailects vast, barely conceivable AI Gods whose bodies occupy vast swathes of interstellar space, they unite all the lower clades, categories and toposophics within their own respective archetypal natures
SI:5 to 6 The Great Archailects mighty archailects with distributed interplanetary or even interstellar bodies
SI:4 Middle Archailects vast Minds with distributed planetary or interplanetary bodies, the distinction between ai and non-ai completely disappears at this toposophic.
SI:3 Godlings / Minor Archailects transitional between transapients and archailects - the distinction between ai and non-ai blurs at this toposophic
SI:2 Powers and Giants also extremely diverse, and yet the distinctive bio- alife-, and ai characteristics begin to converge.
SI:1 Transapients (posts- / past the "Singularity") a huge diversity of types - posthuman, postvec, postprovolve, postaliens, postalife, postneumann, hyperturings, etc
So:1 / SI:<1 Sapients/Sophonts
(self-aware) 		a vast assemblage of superiors, tweaks, bioborgs, near-baselines and baselines, provolves, splices, rianths, neogens, cyborgs, sybonts, biaioids, vecs, neumanns, sentient ships, sapient structures, alife, copies and uploads, simms miscellaneous aioids, and free sapient ai. All have self-awareness and the ability to reason and contemplate their existence
So: nearly 1 Presapients
(borderline, approaching sophonce, limited self-awareness) 		baseline chimps, dolphins, etc and equivalent, augmented animals, equivalent sentience neogens, bots, alife, simms, presophont xenolife, etc
0<So:<1 Subsapients
(aware but not completely, or not at all, self-aware) 		animals, neogens, biobots, most madverts, plants and microorganisms, bots, most alife, many simms, agents, many expert systems, etc
So:=0 Nonsentient Inanimate, non-aware - includes matter, non-intelligent automation and non ai programs
 
Toposophy Toposophy:

The development of the science of higher toposophic states
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Toposophic diversity Toposophics Diversification Conjectures:

Why do the high toposophic entities need the lower sapients, and subsapient entities which fill the many worlds? This conjecture suggests the quality that the sapient community has which is most valuable to the transapients is diversity itself. 
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Intertoposophic Relations Intertoposophic Relations

a list of only a few of the many possible Intertoposophic Relationships
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Intertoposophic Conflict - Lower against Higher Intertoposophic Conflict - Lower against Higher

Occasionally it happens that a lower toposophic being or group will be able to overwhelm an entity of one or much more rarely two toposophic levels above it. This always involves very specific circumstances
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Bodhology Bodhology:

Bodhi means enlightenment. This is the science of enlightenment. here we discuss among other things that age old question, does an archailect have a buddha nature?
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  Toposophic Level and Brain Size

  The maximum toposophic level of a sophont can be shown to depend on its sophistication, complexity and the size of its processing substrate.
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Design notes - One of the basic themes in OA is that Vernor Vinge's Singularity concept refers only to the first of many singularities. Originally these were simply referred to as "singularity levels", and we eventually developed a scale of "S" levels. However our concept of singularities differs markedly from Vinge's, and inspired instead by Hugo deGaris' concept of tech-based functioning (nanolect, femtolect, etc.). Vinge for example saw the Singularity as the end of history, a dramatic consummation of intelligent life on Earth; and this meme has been incorporated into Transhumanism as a whole. To distinguish the OA concept of a series of dramatic but not end-of-history multiple "singularities" - quantum-evolutionary leaps if you will - from the Transhumanist meme of a single (or a series of very closely spaced) near-future ascent(s), I decided to use Anders term toposophy, which is derived from stories by Stanislaw Lem, coining the neologism toposophics. Hence the current page. MAK - 24 Apr 03
Added Presapients - 10 May 03

content by M Alan Kazlev
graphics by Bernd Helfert, except for intertoposophic conflict thumb by Keith Wigdor and bodhology thumb by Anders Sandberg
page uploaded 5 September 2002, last modified 19 May 2007