Panteleimon

I feel somewhat out of place coming into this debate as a Catholic(Byzantine Rite, specifically) , not to mention many other things that I suppose might place me in the minority here. We believe that the soul is an immortal, sacred, inviolable thing that must be treated with the greatest respect both by others and yourself at all times, lest you lose hold of it and be in the kind of trouble that can last for literally an eternity. It is no accident that the only source of the ability to manipulate(corrupt) souls is held to be, que surprise, ~the devil~. I can't imagine how a "science" devoted to the manipulation, trapping, mutilation and/or control of souls could be viewed with anything other than absolute horror by most people, regardless of whatever benefits it's practicioners may advertise. So they can cure alzheimers, for example, but every few times they get together they build an awful soul siphon like we see at the end of the gameplay demos Mr. Sawyer has run. You'd have to be pretty amoral by definition to think that having soul-powered automobiles or flying machines( even if lower creatures like squirrels have souls you can steal as well as humans) is somehow progress because hey, it's modern! I do understand they're writing a world set in a renaissance period, and I'm sure they'll manage to cast the struggle in a light that makes either side appeal to a healthy portion of the people playing the game. I don't see an issue with undertaking academic research into the NATURE of souls and existentialism, as we see in the cosmology of antiquity and the extensive theological study, debate and contemplation of Christianity(or any other religion you want to throw out there) for the last 2000+ years. I do however fail to see why any dillema need be written in such a cynical way as to force a choice between being the amoral pragmatist who puts future prosperity over ethical standards and being the religous 'fradie cat who's just standing in the way of "progress". It's a trope that's as in style now in ANY media as creating a totally utopian, egalitarian society was in '90's fantasy and Sci Fi(Star Trek TNG, for example) . But it's bad, lazy writing. Like I said, I know I'm coming at this from a very, very different angle than most people here(big stuffy conservative coming through!) , but it's not one that I've really seen shared as I read through the thread, so I thought I'd put it out there. I hope it's a perspective that the developers feel is worth writing into the story with a straight face, rather than forcing me to cast myself as a silly dinosaur who's just getting in the way. But I have a high degree of confidence in them, and I can't imagine they'd have fun writing that.