Fwurg

[Maria Latharion]

Dear Chancellor Nehket,

I chose to send you this message instead of confronting you in the senate.

The people of the Stellarian Triad Federation are highly concerned about the way the new Definition of Life Act is verbalized.

While I have little doubt that the Jedi won't abuse this act, others might not be so friendly.

I would also like to point out that while the discussion has been open for a long time, there was never any indication a law would follow from it.

Personally I thought it was just a purely scientific discussion.

Had the STF known it would produce a law, we would have shown far more interest in it. As I am sure others would have as well.

I ask you to take these things into consideration and hope you do not take this matter lightly.

With kind regards,
Lady-Senator Maria Latharion

[Nehket Aeka]

Dear lady-senator Latharion,

First off, thank you for opting for this route. I am glad that our relations has grown to the point such issues can be discussed in private, before they disturb the peace.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you on the point of this discussion becoming a law. The whole discussion was instigated a while ago, by senator Afra Mesti Vanlind of Komès, though this was before the Stellarian Triad Federation joined the Union. Senator Vanlind posed that with the two new worlds, the Limëan Republic and the Teprogrenaian Consensus, which consist signifcantly of cyborgs and virtual individuals, were reviled by the Miomanian Colonists. She did this mainly to sway public opinion against chancellor Acehtoo.

I have attached the official records of that senate meeting. [ Attachment ]

However, the question of what constitutes life remained unanswered. And this question of the utmost importance: after all, what if we have to choose between sending the Union Fleets to defend a world filled with factories, devoid of life, and a world filled with living citizen of the Union?

To answer this question, the Teprogrenaian Consensus graciously hosted the Intergalactic Discussion of Life. This discussion was open to all Union citizens, and has been attended by some of the most renowned philosophers and scientists the Union has to offer.

Now, on to the law proposal itself: I hope to convince you that the proposal is not as stringent as it seems. You understand, of course, the fact that philosophers choose their wording very carefully. To offer you the best possible explanation, I have consulted philosopher Dewa Nishkor Sardan, one of the co-authors of the definition. He explained it as such:

I shall walk through the different articles of the definition, and try to explain the intent of each statement. Should anything be unclear, the blame falls squarely on me. Do not hesitate to contact me for further elaboration.

Statement 3 is easily explained: all participants in the discussion agreed that if something is proven to have a connection to the force, it must therefore be alive. This can be interpreted as either 'The Force' as known to the Jedi, or a as the soul, as known to the Highmonian people, or several other faiths.

Statement 4 can easily be confusing, so let me elaborate: If it can be proven that something has no connection to the force, it is not alive. However, therein lies the subtlety: as far as we are aware it is impossible to prove that something has no connection to the force. Even a simple thing such as a pebble from a riverbed can not be decided by this statement alone.

Because the force is not (yet) scientifically known, we clearly need a better heuristic to determine whether something is alive or not. Statement 5 offers this heuristic, we have elaborated in the properties that need to be observed to declare something alive. There is a large body of work that supports these basic six heuristics.

And finally, there is the nuance of how this definition should be applied. This is a most complex issue. To put it in the words of my honoured colleague, Mazeron of the Divine Fiefdom of Highmons: "Surely these conditions cannot be applied to individuals? For example, human women become infertile after a certain age, but despite no longer being unable to reproduce, it would be quite harsh to declare them dead while they still breathe! And what of those who will never be able to procreate? If these conditions are applied to individuals, that would be quite unreasonable!"

I wholeheartedly agree with him. Instead of applying the definition to individuals, this definition should be seen as applying to the larger whole of the group of entities, their observable common traits and the form derived from this.

In the context of recent news, let me use the Stellarian Triad Federation's Travellers as an example. According to our definition, they are alive, by virtue of statement 3: it has been proven that Astrians, even those that are largely cyborgs have a connection with the force. How else could Nathan Miodrass Asillion be a Jedi Padawan?

Even stronger: as far as I know, there is not a single biological Union citizens that has no connection to the force. The Jedi will be quick to inform you that the Force is in all living beings, though it might manifest itself in a myriad of ways. Furthermore, if nothing about the force can be proven, the six heuristics offer a solution.

Should you wish to meet him in person, for a discussion, you have but to tell me. But I think has explanation is clear enough? I hope this will help you clear up the situation to your people, as I assure you, it is certainly not the intention of this law to declare any Union worlds invalid members. Even so, I think that every particular situation will have to be analysed by a committee of renowned scientists, before any action can be taken based on the Definition of Life Act.

I hope this helps clear up the situation? If this helped you, it might be good to publicly announce such, and Dewa Nishkor Sardan has already given his permission to make his explanation public. It might help other members in the Union understand the intent and effect of the Act.

Yours sincerely,
Chancellor Nehket Aeka

[Maria Latharion]

Dear Chancellor Nehket,

Thank you for helping me clear this up. If you could also relay my thanks to Dewa Nishkor Sardan for his explanation, I would be very grateful.

I have already relayed his explanation to the Triad Boards and the Travellers. I will also make a public announcement containing the explanation.

This will most likely at least calm down my people and hopefully more.

Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Lady-Senator Maria Latharion

[Nehket Aeka]

Dear lady-senator Latharion,

I am glad that I have been able to take away the issue. Please, do not hesitate to contact me again, should another such issue arise.

Yours sincerely,
Chancellor Nehket Aeka