Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon Stacks Sleeves and Digital Souls

The sources provide an extensive analysis of the fictional universe created by science fiction author Richard K. Morgan, particularly focusing on his cyberpunk noir narratives like Altered Carbon. The core theme explored is dystopian immortality, enabled by a technology called the cortical stack, which digitizes consciousness into Digital Human Freight (DHF) and allows transfer into new bodies, or "sleeves." This technological shift creates a brutal socio-economic apartheid, where the ultra-wealthy, known as "Meths," can afford eternal life and political control, while the poor are treated as disposable commodities. The analysis also examines the universe’s recurring anti-hero archetype, the complex biopolitical control exerted by the governing Protectorate, and the profound philosophical dilemmas regarding identity, memory, and the commodification of the human soul. Finally, the text draws chilling parallels between Morgan's speculative concepts—like consciousness uploading and advanced brain-computer interfaces—and rapidly advancing real-world technologies.