"Peter F. Hamilton - A Night's Dawn Companion - The Confederation Handbook" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Peter F)

when he died in 2090, and in doing so started a rift with the Christian and Muslim
faiths which has never been healed.

The affinity gene was declared a violation of divine heritage by Pope Eleanor. Eden
then declared independence from the JSKP (seeA Second Chance at Eden ). A similar
Islamic proclamation followed swiftly. Pope Eleanor also threatened to
excommunicate anyone using symbiont neurons. In the five years following, all the
remaining people possessing the affinity gene or symbionts (Christian or otherwise)
emigrated to Eden and Pallas. After this, the use of the affinity symbionts and bonded
domestic servitor animals died out on Earth. Bitek organisms were also abandoned,
leaving bitek as an almost exclusively Edenist technology. By 2110 the dividing line
between the two human cultures was fully established.

As well as providing easy communication, affinity is used by children to absorb
educational programs from the Eden habitat personality, an equivalent of the Adamist
didactic courses. The personality also employs affinity to coordinate the servitor
constructs which maintain the central habitat parkland.
Affinity is also used to interface with bitek processor chips, in a similar fashion as
does an Adamist neural nanonic datavise to a processor block. Bitek processors are
used in all Edenist spaceships and industrial facilities, such as cloudscoops and zero-
gee factories. Although all Edenists have the communal affinity trait, private one to
one mental conversation is still possible, and cannot be overheard by other Edenists,
being called тАЬsingular engagement.тАЭ


Identity Continuity and Habitat
Consciousness
When Edenists die, they transfer their memories into the habitat, contributing to the
habitat personality. This personality is therefore an assemblage of the habitatтАЩs
original thought routines and the identities of every Edenist ever to die inside. So,
although one entity, the personality is also a multiplicity.

This thought transfer is the principal bone of contention with Adamist religions
(particularly Christianity), which consider it an attempt to circumvent divine
judgment. This apparent life-continuation, and with it the removal of the human fear
of death, is one reason why Edenists are, as a general rule, extremely well-balanced
individuals. Also contributing to this enhanced mental health is the communal affinity
which allows an Edenist to share and therefore mitigate any personal stress and
worry. Cases of insanity or even anxiety attacks are virtually unheard of among
Edenists.

Although one distinct entity, the habitat personality is homogenized through the use
of thought subroutines running in parallel through the neural strata, allowing it to
converse with millions of Edenists all at once as well as running its own
nonautonomous functions. Edenists do not necessarily transfer their personalities in
the habitat where they were born, only where they die. In the cases of Edenists
working outside habitat affinity range, such as diplomats, or passengers in transit,
their memories can be stored within a voidhawkтАЩs memory cells until they reach a
habitat again, when theyтАЩre transferred into the neural strata.