The World Assembly,
Proud that the Member-States of this assembly are composed of myriad diverse cultures and forms of life,
Aspiring to empower Member-States to encounter, create, and cooperate with new forms of life, regardless of technological development or differences in physiology and psychology, wherever and however they may be found,
And convinced that a universal, coherent, and comprehensive policy regarding the possibility of sapience of any given lifeform, and methodology for determining such, will minimize the harms caused by uncertainty and empower Member-States to embrace new forms of life,
Hereby;
Defines, for the purposes of this resolution:
- 'Lifeform' as; any detectable and coherent entity which exhibits clear internal signalling, homeostatic, and organizational processes, or which exhibits clear internal processes functionally indistinguishable from such relative to its composition or state of existence,
- 'Substantially Similar', excepting where used in this definition, as; any lifeform which shares substantial similarity to another lifeform such that they could be reasonably assumed to be individuals of the same design or species,
- 'Xenoinvestigative Body' as; any governmental organization comprising of qualified experts in fields relevant to social, psychological, historical, and evolutionary development, operated with the express and specific purposes of identifying potential Sapient Lifeforms and making determinations with regards to such status as defined within this resolution,
- 'Technology' as; any tool, device, construction, or program, manufactured by a lifeform, for the purpose of performing or assisting in the performance of a task, or for the purpose of producing another tool, device or construction, regardless of material, medium, or design complexity,
- 'Communication' as; any means, regardless of mode or apparent complexity, with which a lifeform expresses complex ideas and meaning, to any other lifeform, whether or not it is Substantially Similar, capable of receiving and understanding the expression,
- 'General Reasoning' as; the ability of a given lifeform to exhibit generally complex reasoning and both logical and illogical – but internally sound - decision making within a variety of distinct conditions and environments both within and without its observed or known range of experience,
- 'Sapient Lifeform' as; any lifeform which exhibits the ability to produce Technologies, Communicate, and Generally Reason, as determined by a Xenoinvestigative Body of a Member-State, or a similar non-Member-State entity,
Mandates:
- That all Member-States lacking a Xenoinvestigative Body establish such at the earliest practicable opportunity, or otherwise designate, with mutual agreement, a Xenoinvestigative Body operated by another Member-State for the purpose, and confer upon it all authority and access needed to perform its assigned purpose,
- That Member-States, upon identifying a potential Sapient Lifeform, as soon as practicable, and as appropriate:
- Begin investigation via, at minimum, the most relevant Member-State’s Xenoinvestigative body, per the established standards regarding Sapient Lifeforms,
- Declare, based on clear and obvious factors, such as widespread use of highly complex technologies, or other relevant and immediately apparent factors, a Lifeform to be a Sapient Lifeform without formal investigation, or the formal completion of investigation,
- That investigations into the sapience of a species by Xenoinvestigative Bodies:
- Consist, at the first phase, of robust and thorough investigative research to determine all reasonably accessible factors relevant to the investigation,
- That all determinations regarding Technology, Communication, and General Reasoning take place in terms reasonable and relevant to the Lifeform undergoing investigation, and that all effort be made to accommodate and account for relevant distinctions that would otherwise threaten accurate determinations,
- That Member-States treat any and all lifeforms undergoing investigation regarding their status as a Sapient Lifeform with the full dignity and respect conferred to confirmed Sapient Lifeforms, and all practicable national and international legal and ethical protections extended to such,
- That Member-States consider all lifeforms which are Substantially Similar to a known Sapient Lifeform, as being themselves Sapient Lifeforms, regardless of individual ability to meet the defined standard therein or any disabilities or impairments,
- That Member-States consider any and all Sapient Lifeforms identified or declared by another Member-State, to be Sapient Lifeforms under their own law,
- That, with regards to all national and international law binding upon or within Member-States, all identified Sapient Lifeforms are to be considered persons, and afforded all rights, privileges, protections, restrictions, and duties thereof.
