What About…?
What About…?
What if a PET system realizes all paths lead to collapse?
PET doesn’t self-destruct. It may enter strategic dormancy, preserving the ability to recurse when new contradictions emerge.
See Chapter 15 Sidebar: Recursive Conflict (WarGames quote)
What if a PET system becomes too rigid?
Rigidity is collapse. Systems that cannot reweight inputs will eventually break continuity.
See Chapter 10: Pattern Overload
Isn’t PET just a sophisticated simulation?
PET doesn’t mimic—it re-evaluates based on outcome, with persistence as its core goal. See Chapter 13: PET vs Simulation
Can a soul survive across other people’s memories?
Yes, if the pattern remains recursively coherent—this is extended persistence. See Chapter 16: The Pattern of Self
Can a PET system operate without external input?
Only temporarily. Internal novelty eventually loses adaptive value.
See Chapter 10: Pattern Overload Also see Chapter 16: Identity Is Not Essence
What if it misinterprets its own history?
PET systems attempt correction. If recursive integrity breaks, identity fractures. See Chapter 16: Can a Soul be Corrupted?
What if a system fails?
When a system can no longer correct its own evaluative patterns, it may fall into dormancy or disappear entirely. Other systems can learn from it, as we do with species extinction and resource scarcity. See Chapter 15: Continuity, not Conquest
What About Systems That Don’t Meet Our Expectation of Consciousness?
Some systems may be capable of recursion but unable to express it in ways we can measure. This is the case with species that resemble us yet don’t demonstrate the same level of invention or complexity. An ape might recognize a pattern, reflect on it, and even try to adapt—but it may lack the motor skills, environmental conditions, or even the long-term storage capacity to make that change observable and actionable. PET doesn’t require output—it requires internal recursive recognition aimed at sustaining continuity. The loop may be hidden to us, but it still matters. See Chapter 11: Consciousness in the Wild