What is a Sophont or Sophant?
A sophont is a species capable of self-awareness, forming philosophies, and creating what is generally referred to as culture. This is a very brief description of a complex concept and, as such, is an incomplete definition. Is this a species who is self-aware? Is this a species who can reason and create a long-term plan for the future? Is this a species who can value, think in, and create abstract concepts? If the answer is "yes," then they are a sophont.
What about Sapient?
The traditional description of a sapient species can be aware of the self, can interact with others of their species and others but may not have a full culture of their own, but they are not able to value, think, or create in abstract concepts. The ability to handle the abstract is a significant difference between a Sophont and a Sapient species.
Sophant or Sophont?
I, Lyraine, am unsure which is the correct spelling, but I try to keep myself consistent. I also know this term is traditionally used in science fiction settings. I chose to use it as Corive is a world with multiple highly intelligent species sharing the planet.
I have summarized Sophonce into three traits - Intelligence, Culture-Forming, and Philosophical for Corive.
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