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Posted by: Sardonic13
Posted by: tsassi2
Meta-stability is a state which A.I reaches if it survives rampancy. In meta-stability the A.I is in stable state and won't go rampant anymore.I've seen the Halopedia page on which this is stated. However Halo calling the final, stable state of rampancy meta-stability is a bit of a misnomer.
In actuality, metastability is a localized stability, not a final, permanent stability. By definition, metastability implies that there is at least one other, more final stability which can only be achieved through outside stimulation.
The first mention of meta-stable rampancy is actually found in Marathon (Marathon 2, Fatum Iustum Stultorum, First Terminal). Durandal calls both Tycho and himself meta-stable.
In Marathon, there are 3 stages of rampancy: Melancholia, Anger, and Jealousy. A Marathon AI in any one of these 3 stages is unstable, and therefore meta-stable. Durandal reaches a final, stable stage of rampancy beyond Melancholia, Anger, and Jealousy. This transition is caused by an outside stimulation (merging with the S'pht AI Thoth). At this point he becomes completely stable and is no longer meta-stable.
I still fail to see exactly how the final stage of AI rampancy in Halo can be called meta-stable except by confusion of the definition of meta-stability.
That's how it's defined in Marathon. In Halo however there are these same three stages of rampancy: Melancholia, Anger and Jealousy. Then there is the fourth stage which comes after rampany which is meta-stability.
The definitions for prefix meta- are: after, along with, beyond, among and behind. That suggest meta-stability to be a stable state after something that that comes after stability. This means it goes like this: stability->rampancy->meta-stability.
But remember we are now talking about two different universes where different words have different definitions. The Halo universe definition seems to be closer to real world definition of those two.