soul-frame/research/phase-v-spirits-ghosts-synthesis.md

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

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.