It's not that it has to be an S5 to think up entire lifeforms. An S1 can imagine a new lifeform, or a new sophont mind, into existence, if it wants to.
The difference is one of...degree...I think would be the term.
An S1 may make the conscious decision to imagine a new lifeform or a new sophont in such detail that the entity is essentially a form of virtual life or AI. If it wants to, the S1 creator can give the new mind memories and such and can even embody it into the physical world with the right hardware on hand.
An S5 operates on a whole different scale of being. To provide an example:
Consider the following term: The Roman Empire
As you read the words, you might briefly imagine or remember a set of concepts associated with each. Maybe also some things you've read, maybe a movie or two you've seen, maybe some pictures. Followed by your attention focusing back on my post and OA and our discussion here.
In comparison, an S5 reading the same term could imagine an entire solar system into virtual existence, complete in every detail right now to gravitational interactions, solar wind gas dynamics, weather on the planets, solar flares and activity, etc. On one of the planets, an entire ecosystem would virtually evolve over subjective eons (but objective fractions of a second) until it produced - humans - who would in turn develop over subjective ages into the civilization we know as Rome. Each of the humans (and the pre-human entities they evolved from and so on) would be a complete conscious individual, with memories, a history, friends and family (all of whom would be complete beings in their own right as well), etc. All of them would equal the total population and activities of the Roman Empire during its entire history up until the point it fell and ceased to exist.
Much the same process would take place if the S5 spent a moment thinking about dinosaurs. Or pink elephants. Or whatever.
In other words - an S1 can think one or a few new lifeforms or minds into being, but it has to make a conscious effort. An S5 may think entire planetary systems of new life or minds into being (complete with cultures, histories, artifacts, you name it) simply as a side effect of considering them for a moment. In addition, an S5 may not just think of one version of these, but actually generate millions of versions and run them over and over until it gets the outcome that matches known history or that it wants or the like - and again, this is only its version of idle, momentary thought - not the result of focused effort on its part.
Coming at this from another direction, consider deductive telepathy - another transapient ability. While it does have its limits, it is something that all of transapients can do if they wish. At the S5 level, this means that - if you were to come to the attention of an S5 in any significant way - it could literally be creating and eliminating millions or billions of versions of you 'in its head' throughout every moment of your interaction as it modeled your actions, thoughts, personality, etc. to a huge degree of accuracy.
Hope this helps,
Todd
The difference is one of...degree...I think would be the term.
An S1 may make the conscious decision to imagine a new lifeform or a new sophont in such detail that the entity is essentially a form of virtual life or AI. If it wants to, the S1 creator can give the new mind memories and such and can even embody it into the physical world with the right hardware on hand.
An S5 operates on a whole different scale of being. To provide an example:
Consider the following term: The Roman Empire
As you read the words, you might briefly imagine or remember a set of concepts associated with each. Maybe also some things you've read, maybe a movie or two you've seen, maybe some pictures. Followed by your attention focusing back on my post and OA and our discussion here.
In comparison, an S5 reading the same term could imagine an entire solar system into virtual existence, complete in every detail right now to gravitational interactions, solar wind gas dynamics, weather on the planets, solar flares and activity, etc. On one of the planets, an entire ecosystem would virtually evolve over subjective eons (but objective fractions of a second) until it produced - humans - who would in turn develop over subjective ages into the civilization we know as Rome. Each of the humans (and the pre-human entities they evolved from and so on) would be a complete conscious individual, with memories, a history, friends and family (all of whom would be complete beings in their own right as well), etc. All of them would equal the total population and activities of the Roman Empire during its entire history up until the point it fell and ceased to exist.
Much the same process would take place if the S5 spent a moment thinking about dinosaurs. Or pink elephants. Or whatever.
In other words - an S1 can think one or a few new lifeforms or minds into being, but it has to make a conscious effort. An S5 may think entire planetary systems of new life or minds into being (complete with cultures, histories, artifacts, you name it) simply as a side effect of considering them for a moment. In addition, an S5 may not just think of one version of these, but actually generate millions of versions and run them over and over until it gets the outcome that matches known history or that it wants or the like - and again, this is only its version of idle, momentary thought - not the result of focused effort on its part.
Coming at this from another direction, consider deductive telepathy - another transapient ability. While it does have its limits, it is something that all of transapients can do if they wish. At the S5 level, this means that - if you were to come to the attention of an S5 in any significant way - it could literally be creating and eliminating millions or billions of versions of you 'in its head' throughout every moment of your interaction as it modeled your actions, thoughts, personality, etc. to a huge degree of accuracy.
Hope this helps,
Todd