I, Superman, the Supreme Commander

【"Twenty-year plan for population recovery in the Human Republic" (Draft)】

[General Principles: The plan aims to accelerate the recovery of the earth's population and take scientific, feasible and effective measures to increase the global population without violating the Constitution and laws, harming the overall interests of mankind and protecting the interests of all citizens. ]

[This plan was drafted by the Supreme Academy of Sciences and reviewed by the State Council Standing Committee. It contains 37 articles.]

[Article 18: Establish and improve the national childcare system. Provide citizens under the age of with comprehensive living security, custody services, childcare guidance, free education, free medical care and other services, and the state will provide a bottom line guarantee for citizens' childbirth costs.]

[Article 2: Implement a policy of rewards and penalties for childbearing. Citizens who meet the childbearing conditions must fulfill their obligation to reproduce offspring. Those who refuse to fulfill their obligations will be punished according to the circumstances, including civil penalties such as public criticism, fines, and reduction of social welfare. If the circumstances are particularly serious and the impact is bad, the National Procuratorate will pursue criminal responsibility. ]

[Families with more than 2 children (including 2) will be rewarded according to the principle of "more births, more rewards", including but not limited to: multiple birth allowances, eugenics and good parenting rewards, excellent parenting certificates, heroic parenting medals, priority recruitment rights for civil servants, special national benefits...]

[Article 3: Implement assisted reproductive policies. In order to solve the problem of infertility, reduce the cost of childbearing for women, and increase the fertility rate, the state provides citizens with free assisted reproductive services, including reproductive function restoration, in vitro fertilization, artificial uterus surrogacy...]

[Article 4: Implement the "Reunion" plan (on a trial basis). In cases where there is a single-person household or a direct relative has passed away, citizens can apply to the government to "resurrect" their relatives, including but not limited to spouses, parents, children, brothers and sisters...]

[Article 5: Implement the "Soul Reincarnation" Plan (Trial). All citizens of the Republic have the right to apply to the government for a backup of their personality memory in their own name, and choose to activate their own backup after natural death, continue the backup in the form of a clone or virtual electronic life, and "reincarnate"...]

[Article 6: Implement the "Human Enhancement" Plan (Trial). All citizens of the Republic have the right to use legal and compliant technologies to improve their own functions, including but not limited to injecting gene optimization drugs, implanting smart chips, transplanting artificial organs, special body modifications... All modifications must be approved by the relevant departments, and all private and illegal modifications are strictly prohibited. Except for actual disabilities or special circumstances, any modification shall not be at the expense of damaging a healthy and normal body, and shall not damage the health of citizens or endanger their lives. ]

【Article 7 ……】

The official announcement was like a bombshell, setting off a storm of public opinion.

Apart from those who are in the know, even the most open-minded scientists cannot help but be shocked by the audacity and even heresy of this.

"Hey, what's this about resurrecting the dead? Has our technology advanced to this point?"

"Idiot! If you had read the relevant reports carefully, you wouldn't have such a big problem. Didn't you watch the official talk show? The official said that the so-called resurrection is just to use the DNA and memory transfer technology of the deceased to create a high-quality clone of the deceased."

"Ah? I thought..."

"What? You're overthinking it. Scientifically speaking, resurrection of the dead in the narrow sense is impossible. When a person dies, his body returns to nature. Theoretically, unless all the particles that made up this person are found and restored to their original state, no matter what kind of resurrection, philosophically speaking, it can be regarded as another person..."

"What you said above is very profound...but I actually seem to understand what's going on?"

"Did you have your memory transfer surgery downstairs in vain? Have you forgotten all those hundreds of knowledge books that the Commander installed in your brain?"

"Stop arguing. Doesn't anyone care about the soul reincarnation plan? I feel very uncomfortable when I think that I can achieve immortality in this way. Can I still be considered myself?"

"I don't think so. But it does count a little bit. Maybe it can be considered the relationship between the original body and the clone?"

"I think it's acceptable. In the past, humans could only pass on their genes by having children and by creating literary and artistic works. The government has come up with this thing, which allows them to do both, and directly obtain an offspring that perfectly inherits the genes and ideas of the parents. From a genetic point of view, this is really perfect!"

"I don't agree with the above gentleman's opinion. From the perspective of genetics, this kind of 'inheritance' method obviously reduces genetic diversity and is not conducive to the long-term development of the human species."

"Alas, I don't think as much as you do. I miss my wife and children so much that I am willing to have them even if they are fake. Since I am going to remarry and find a new partner, why not find a woman with the same genes and similar thoughts and memories as my wife? At least I don't have to start over. In a sense, it can be regarded as continuing my ex-wife's life."

"Brother, it's natural for you to think this way. But there's a question here: Is your new wife the daughter of your ex-wife or the daughter of your ex-wife?"

"Pfft! Hahahahahaha, you upstairs are so mean."

"Daughter? Hentai is ecstatic. (Dog head saves life)"

There is an endless discussion and debate on the “Twenty-Year Plan” on the Internet. The topics discussed on the streets are also related to this, and the popularity remains high.

The public had mixed opinions on the official plan, which led to obvious divisions and the people split into several factions, arguing endlessly about it.

The Human Republic is facing its first major disagreement since its founding, and has never been so divided.

However, thanks to the previously implemented citizen quality improvement plan, although citizens have different opinions, they can still maintain rational discussions and do not make any extreme reactions, and social order remains very stable.

The benefits of citizens having high quality and good sense were once again demonstrated, and government officials once again marveled at the foresight of their leaders.

After several days of debate, when various opinions had almost been resolved and people's views on the matter had gradually become certain, Zhang Hong personally stepped in.

Participate in talk shows, answer controversial questions online, and express your own opinions.

"Hello, Mr. Commander, it is an honor to have you on our show."

"Hello, host."

"So, what do you think about the online controversy about whether or not cloning technology should be used to restore the population?"

People all over the country were staring at the live broadcast with great concentration.

In the picture, Zhang Hong looks energetic, radiant, calm, and has a confident and relaxed smile on his face.

"First of all, I want to make it clear that our country has mastered very mature human cloning technology, and there are no safety and technical issues that everyone is worried about."

"Secondly, I want to talk about the ethical issues of human cloning, which is also the focus of everyone's controversy."

"In fact, human ethics have been evolving. In ancient times, human ethics were no different from those of monkeys. Sons inherited their fathers' wives, and close relatives committed incest. This can be found in various myths and ancient books."

"In the feudal era, ethics developed somewhat, but it was still common for brothers to have the same wife and for cousins ​​to marry. This situation has not been completely eliminated until modern times."

"This is the case even for marriage ethics. Not to mention human rights."

"Slavery has existed for thousands of years, and the whole society does not regard slaves as human beings. The phenomenon of abandoned babies is still common in modern society, especially baby girls. In the old days, some countries openly divided their citizens into different classes based on caste or skin color. The sister country regarded its own citizens as superior to others. Under the pretext of avenging thousands of citizens, it brazenly launched multiple attacks and buried hundreds of thousands of innocent people from other countries under the gunfire..."

“The ethical system we are familiar with is something that was established in modern society only a few decades ago.”

"Ethics that have lasted for hundreds or thousands of years can change, so why do we take it for granted that the ethics of modern society cannot change?"

"What our ancestors took for granted may seem cruel, barbaric, uncivilized and immoral to us today. In the eyes of future generations, won't some of our current ethical standards be the same?"

"Citizens, comrades, this is a new era, and the situation facing mankind is completely different from the past."

"Everyone already knows that we should seek truth from facts, keep pace with the times, and that practice is the only criterion for testing truth."

"Nothing stays the same. A new era and a new human civilization will inevitably require new systems, mechanisms, laws, morals and ethical systems to adapt to it."

"Back to the question of cloning."

"Are clones human?"

"Of course it's a human. Can you say that test-tube babies are not human? Can you say that asexually propagated lychees are not lychees?"

“Should clones enjoy the same human rights as natural persons?”

"I think we should look at this issue dialectically."

"I believe everyone can agree that what defines a human being is not just his body, but more importantly his thoughts and personality."

"If someone's body is damaged and they get a robotic arm or leg, we will still consider them human."

"What if someone's whole body is damaged, and we transplant his brain into a humanoid robot? Think about it, would you still consider him a human being?"

"What if the brain is also damaged? Is there something that can replace the brain and carry human consciousness?"

"This is actually the concept of the family reunion and soul reincarnation plan in the 20-year plan."

"Back to the definition of human beings, everyone can continue to think deeply, and finally we come to a conclusion. That is, our definition of human beings is actually determined by [human appearance] and [human core]."

"Generally, we think that creatures with human or near-human appearance, and with the same values ​​and ways of thinking as humans, are our kind."

"As for whether he is a mortal or a mechanical body, whether he is tall or short, fat or thin, or has pink or green hair, it doesn't matter."

"So in our cultural works, human hair can be colorful, humans can be elves, dwarves, orcs, and even become one family with demons and monsters. The Legend of the White Snake, A Chinese Ghost Story, Nine-tailed Fox... You see, as long as it conforms to human aesthetics, humans actually have a very broad definition of their own kind."

At this point, Zhang Hong smiled slightly, a smile that said "everyone understands".

Many people in front of the TV smiled knowingly, and the serious atmosphere of the interview became much more relaxed.

Zhang Hong continued: "Similarly, I think that if clones meet the human aesthetics and human core mentioned above, they should be considered as real humans like natural persons and have the same rights."

"But we know that clones have not only human attributes, but also product attributes. So we should look at the rights and interests of clones dialectically."

"First of all, it must be made clear that unofficial production of human clones is prohibited, and official production of human clones also requires strict approval and approval from the General Assembly of All Humankind. Strict restrictions on the use of cloning rights are necessary to prevent the problem of human cloning from spreading and getting out of control."

"Secondly, clarify the rights and obligations related to human cloning through legislation."

"If it is a legal and compliant clone, it should enjoy full human rights."

"If it is illegal cloning, appropriate measures should be taken according to the actual situation to restrict or regulate their rights and behaviors. However, it needs to comply with relevant laws and follow humanitarian principles."

"If the clones have defects, such as physical defects or mental incompleteness, they will be forcibly transformed by the state. If the defects are serious and cannot be transformed, or they are a serious threat to society, they will be considered for humane destruction, such as completely losing their minds and anti-social and anti-human extremists."

After a pause, Zhang Hong continued in a cautious tone: "The government uses cloning technology to recreate the deceased in order to solve the problem of too many lonely people in the current society. On the one hand, it can alleviate the mental pressure of the lonely groups, and on the other hand, it can further accelerate the recovery of the global population. On behalf of the new government, I guarantee that the government will not force the implementation of this policy, and the same goes for the soul reincarnation plan."

"I would like to remind the citizens who are willing to participate in this project that no matter what your views and feelings are towards clones, I hope that when they appear around you or in your family, I hope you will treat them well. Treat them equally as you would treat ordinary people."

"After all, the consequences of racial discrimination are right before our eyes. We must not allow the dregs of the past to continue to bind humanity."

Zhang Hong's live TV interview lasted for five hours, answering all the questions that concerned citizens. It was broadcasted every day in the following days, which had a profound impact on citizens' views on the "Twenty-Year Plan".

Old John was alone at home and watched the entire interview without missing a single word.

After turning off the TV, he fell into silence, sitting in the dim room thinking.

He gently stroked the family photo in his hand, which was a photo of him, his wife, and children before the end of the world. Everyone had a bright smile and looked happy.

After a long time, Old John seemed to have made up his mind. His cloudy and dim eyes slowly became bright, flashing an inexplicable light in the darkness.