Lord Mihko, the Quantum Syndicate Lord

[JohnBWatson]

Lol at the plot twists !

But yeah, a couple of points:
- cloning increases in price every time you do it and it's limited.

That's insurance premiums, not cloning. The cost is static, it's the company's risk in insuring you that increases. The Ares field an entire army of clones, which would not be practical with diminishing returns.

- There might be restrictions of how the cloning process works: maybe to clone, you actually have to kill the person in the process (extract brain data?), making it not feasible to have another "you" around.

The possibility of insurance resurrecting the player after being disintegrated by the ICS aside, a massive society of clones like that of the Ares would not be practical if cloning worked in such a way.

Or maybe Commonwealth laws prohibits people duplication. This will also explain how Lord Mikho is on all the stations, because, of course, BM doesn't follow Commonwealth laws, but normal people are forbidden to clone themselves at will.

Entirely possible. Their principals of Democratic Republicanism and individualism would likely lead them to oppose the act of replication on the basis that it diminishes the value of a human life.

On the other hand, rich people can clone themselves to generate sons and daughters, and this is the case with Kate Morgental, AFAIK.

That's interesting, where did you hear that? It seems familiar to me, but I cannot pinpoint the source.

[Atarlost]

- cloning increases in price every time you do it and it's limited.

As JohnBWatson points out, no it doesn't. The cost to insure your ship and everything on it does. You demonstrate yourself to be a high risk by dieing and your ship gets more and more expensive as the game progresses.

[FourFire]

Even if the scanning process is destructive, you can always just produce multiple clones in one go (how else would the ares do it?).
I suspect that it is discouraged in general, because legally, clones are the same person, so all rights, income, inheritances and so on are divided between them.

In addition, the space faring civilizations (mostly) have incentive to use Nudge Reenforcement (and policy) to prevent people from multiplying too much, due to limited resources such as air, water and habitable space, which are (supposedly) human rights and must be provided unconditionally to whoever asks.

[JohnBWatson]

In addition, the space faring civilizations (mostly) have incentive to use Nudge Reenforcement (and policy) to prevent people from multiplying too much, due to limited resources such as air, water and habitable space, which are (supposedly) human rights and must be provided unconditionally to whoever asks.

Not really true. The CW isn't like an Earth nation, it doesn't see its citizens as dependents. The Container Habitats are proof enough that people who reproduce without forethought are not absolved from the consequences of doing so.

[FourFire]

In addition, the space faring civilizations (mostly) have incentive to use Nudge Reenforcement (and policy) to prevent people from multiplying too much, due to limited resources such as air, water and habitable space, which are (supposedly) human rights and must be provided unconditionally to whoever asks.

Not really true. The CW isn't like an Earth nation, it doesn't see its citizens as dependents. The Container Habitats are proof enough that people who reproduce without forethought are not absolved from the consequences of doing so.

Are you arguing that the container habitats don't provide air, water and livable space?

[JohnBWatson]

Are you arguing that the container habitats don't provide air, water and livable space?

I'm saying the government doesn't provide it for free, and that citizens acquire these things through their own means. Water is manufactured and bought, and a larger market gets more of it produced. Air is likely a part of rent, as is livable space, and those that don't have enough build their own facilities, such as the container habitats.

[FourFire]

I'm saying the government doesn't provide it for free, and that citizens acquire these things through their own means. Water is manufactured and bought, and a larger market gets more of it produced. Air is likely a part of rent, as is livable space, and those that don't have enough build their own facilities, such as the container habitats.

I said nothing about government, only civilizations.

[JohnBWatson]

I said nothing about government, only civilizations.

If government is not required to provide water, living space, and air, 'nudge theory' does not apply, as there is no incentive for the government to limit reproduction.