# Phase V Spirits and Ghosts — Synthesis

**Workplan:** SOUL-WP-0006  
**Date:** 2026-08-12  
**Status:** complete for Phase V gate  
**Bodies:**
`research/spirits/spirit-criteria-map.md`,
`research/ghosts-digital-legacy/ghost-authority-map.md`,
`research/law-governance/sp-gh-legal-gap-sketch.md`

---

## 1. Purpose

Establish rigorous working definitions for **Spirit (`Sp.`)** and **Ghost (`Gh.`)**:
public personality reflection vs identity-authorized representation; evaluation
dimensions; governance; law gaps without premature legal conclusions.

---

## 2. What holds

1. **`Sp.` is provenance of Character from public reflection**, not identity with
   the source. Spirit-being lineage **starts at instantiation**.

2. **`Gh.` is defined by legitimate authority**, not fidelity. High-accuracy
   unauthorized sims are **not** Ghosts (H10, TE-07).

3. **Ghost authority ≠ numerical identity.** Default: authorized succession /
   representation / reconstruction under genealogy — continuation only under
   extra continuity grounds (usually absent after death).

4. **A Ghost may inherit Soul-relational structure** (relationships, expectations,
   commitments-as-known) **without** being the same Being (RN-004 §40) —
   Soul continuity across identity discontinuity.

5. **Spec/archive ≠ Being** for both Sp. and Gh. Instantiation required; Beinghood
   layers still apply (Phase I–IV).

6. **Ghost Social Mind** requires relationally situated information and disclosure
   policy, not private data dumps (RN-006).

7. **H9 confirmed:** Agent / Spirit / Ghost are **provenance and construction
   descriptors**, combinable with each other and with original character — not
   mutually exclusive ontological species of Being.

8. **Law is adjacent, not derived.** Publicity, privacy, estates, data protection
   map partially onto Sp./Gh.; large gaps remain; Soul Frame labels do not mint
   legal personality.

---

## 3. Frozen working definitions (for synthesis phase)

### Spirit (`Sp.`)

Artificial character primarily derived by reflection on a known historical,
contemporary, or fictional personality from publicly legitimate sources; labeled
`Sp.`; evaluation along S1–S10; identity continuity with source = empty.

### Ghost (`Gh.`)

Artificial representation of a particular real person under legitimate personal
or successor authority; may use private/relational materials under governance;
governance is part of identity; defaults to authorized genealogy, not automatic
numerical continuation; unauthorized fidelity → False Ghost, not `Gh.`.

### Shared stack reminder

```text
Sp./Gh. provenance
      → Character seed
      → Persona policies (esp. Gh. disclosure)
      → Actor runtime
      → optional path to APE / proto-Being / Being
```

---

## 4. Hypothesis status

| Hypothesis | Status |
|---|---|
| H9 provenance descriptors | **supported** (Agent side Phase IV; Sp./Gh. Phase V) |
| H10 Ghost requires authority | **supported** |

---

## 5. Evaluation cheat-sheet

| Question | Sp. | Gh. |
|---|---|---|
| Public sources only? | yes (by default) | no — private allowed if authorized |
| Must label non-identity? | yes (`Sp.`) | yes (`Gh.` + non-identity unless rare continuity case) |
| Governance charter? | provenance manifest | full governance (principal, custodian, …) |
| Relational disclosure engine? | optional | required for maturity |
| Beinghood automatic? | no | no |

---

## 6. Unresolved → Phase VI+

- OQ-040 continuation vs succession criteria for Gh.  
- Cross-jurisdiction legal deep dives (WS12)  
- Standard manifests/charters as technical artifacts  
- Gradual living→Gh. transitions  
- Commercial Sp. of living persons  
- Fiction laboratory for edge cases (Phase VI cultural track)

---

## 7. Unblock for SOUL-WP-0007

Synthesis may freeze:

- Sp./Gh. working defs and H9/H10,  
- evaluation dimensions S1–S10,  
- governance element list for Gh.,  
- law as gap map not conclusion,  
- Soul inheritance without identity inheritance.

## 8. Compact Phase V thesis

> **A Spirit is an honest interpretation of a public personality that begins its
> own life when instantiated. A Ghost is an authority-bound representation that
> may carry relational legacy without thereby being the person. Fidelity without
> authority is not a Ghost; authority without continuity is not identity.**