[tomglynch]

Realistically, the value of the chain pre-fork should equal the value of the two chains post fork.

However, this is not always the case - due to people thinking they can get 'free coins' from the other chain (price goes up), people being afraid of a fork (price goes down), etc

[Empact]

When a fork occurs, you do not simply split the assets and community in two, you form 2 better-aligned independent groups pursuing currency success under two different sets of operative rules. Therefore new value is potentially created both in alignment and in the greater chance of one of these currencies hitting upon the set of rules that is ultimately successful in the space. Obviously this has limits - eg when the rules are already being exhaustively explored, there are no takers for the new currency, or developer attention is already the limiting factor.

[njarboe]

Sort of like when a company splits and the two parts are more valuable than the whole. Not common, but I believe Ebay and PayPal were more valuable post split. It idea floated at the time was PayPal growth was being held back by Ebay management.

[jiggunjer]

Conservation of value. The first law of forkodynamics.