Why Systems Cannot Be Duplicated
The Systome Principle and the End of Copy-Paste Metaphysics
Sungchul Ji, Ph.D. (with ChatGPT assistance)
Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Cell Biology
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy,
Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ
Introduction: Duplication in the Age of AI, Clones, and Simulations
In the age of AI, biotechnology, and digital fantasies of immortality, the idea of duplication—of minds, genomes, and even entire selves—has captivated public imagination and scientific exploration alike [1, 2]. Whether in brain uploading, teleportation, or synthetic biology, we are encouraged to believe that copying a structure is enough to recreate its function.
But this assumption rests on a dangerous oversimplification: it ignores the role of context.
The behavior of a system is determined not by its internal structure alone, but by the union of that structure with its environment [3].
This is the foundation of what I call the Systome Principle: the view that a functioning system is not a system in isolation, but a systome—a system embedded in and inseparable from its environment.
I. The Systome Principle: Function Emerges from Context
Reductionism [4] has long taught us that to understand something, we should break it into parts. But increasingly, biology, physics, and systems theory show us that understanding—and especially replication—requires more than parts. It requires relationships.
Function = f(System, Environment)
not
Function = f(System)
The implications are sweeping:
A gene does not express the same way in every tissue.
A protein does not fold identically in vitro and in vivo.
A conscious mind may not "upload" simply by replicating neural architecture.
Even when the internal structure is precisely copied, removing the system from its context severs the conditions that make its function possible.
II. No Cell Without Its Milieu: Why Structure Alone Fails
Consider the case of a living cell [4].
A living cell cannot be truly duplicated unless its molecular environment—its milieu intérieur—is also faithfully replicated.
This molecular milieu includes:
pH, temperature, and ionic concentrations
Spatial gradients of nutrients, metabolites, and signaling molecules
Mechanical constraints and fluidic forces
Interactions with neighboring cells, extracellular matrices, and surfaces
Epigenetic histories and molecular noise
These environmental variables are not static. They are dynamic, time-sensitive, and often unique to the cell’s developmental trajectory.
Therefore, any attempt to duplicate a cell by copying only its genome or molecular components is bound to fall short. What is being copied is not a cell, but merely a partial blueprint—devoid of the living context that makes it function as a cell [5].
The cell as a systome—not just a structure—defies shallow duplication.
III. Three Foundational Laws of Systomic Duplication
From the Systome Principle [3], we derive three general laws governing what can and cannot be duplicated.
(1) No systems can be duplicated; only systomes with deterministic systems can be duplicated.
In truth, systems do not exist in isolation. Every functioning system is environment-dependent. Thus, only systomes, not systems, are candidates for duplication.
Even then, duplication is possible only if:
The system is deterministic
The environment is reproducible
Example: A digital logic gate functions identically only when environmental conditions (e.g., voltage, temperature) are tightly controlled.
(2) Systomes with deterministic systems cannot be duplicated if the system exhibits deterministic chaos.
Even if a system is deterministic, chaotic sensitivity to initial conditions makes duplication practically impossible.
Tiny differences in environmental inputs result in drastically different outputs.
Example: Weather systems obey deterministic equations, yet their behavior quickly becomes unpredictable. You cannot duplicate a hurricane by copying the equations alone.
(3) Systomes with nondeterministic systems cannot be duplicated even in principle.
Some systems are inherently nondeterministic—either due to quantum indeterminacy or emergent complexity.
In such cases, no amount of structural duplication will replicate the behavior, because the future states of the system are not determined even by perfect knowledge of the present.
Example: A single stem cell’s fate can diverge despite identical conditions [3, 6]. Its behavior emerges probabilistically and contextually. Duplication, even in theory, is ruled out.
IV. A Fourth Law: The Boundary of Duplicability
To complete the framework:
(4) Only simple, non-chaotic, deterministic systomes are duplicable in both theory and practice.
These include:
Basic logic circuits
Some engineered systems under controlled conditions
Certain isolated, low-complexity mechanisms
But these are rare and do not include living organisms, sentient minds, or open-ended complex systems.
V. Duplication Feasibility by Systome Type
VI. The Gnergitonic Framework: A Triadic Reality Resists Duplication
In the Geometry of Reality (GOR) [7] and the Gnergitonics [7] framework, all real entities—gnergitons—consist of three irreducible elements:
Gn-: Information (form, structure, code)
-erg-: Energy (function, dynamics, activity)
-it-: Spirit or Consciousness (context, emergence, purpose)
-on: Particle
To duplicate a gnergiton [7] is not merely to replicate its information or energy, but to reinstantiate its contextual consciousness—the "-it-" that makes gnergiton what it is.
Thus:
You can clone a gene, but not recreate its epigenetic function.
You can replicate a brain, but not its conscious presence.
You can simulate a process, but not re-embody its meaning.
Conclusion: From Reduction to Relation
The desire to duplicate reality—to copy, simulate, and reproduce life, mind, and self—is rooted in a belief that structure determines function.
But the Systome Principle refutes this. Structure is not enough. Context is constitutive. Emergence is irreducible.
In a world obsessed with copying, we must remember: the truly real is the truly relational [6].
What cannot be duplicated is not a flaw. It is a clue—pointing us toward a deeper understanding of life, consciousness, and the fabric of reality.
References:
[1] Derek, P. (1984). Reason’s and Persons. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
[2] Ryakov, M. (2021). Paradox of the Duplication of Physical Information. Springer Nature, Berlin.
[3] Ji, S. (2018). System vs. Systome. In: The Cell Language Theory: Connecting Mind and Matter. World Scientific Publishing, New Jersey. Pp. 24-27.
[4] Reductionism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductionism
[5] Ji, S. (2012). Molecular Theory of the Living Cell: Concepts, Molecular Mechanisms, and Biomedical Applications. Springer, New York.
[6] Ji, S. (2018). Op. cit. The Universality of the Irreducible Triadic Relation.
[7] Ji, S. (2025). From Molecules to Galaxies. https://622622.substack.com/p/from-molecules-to-galaxies
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