To Live Eternally In A Universe like Ours

[TrahmalG]

Something that I would wish for, eternal life, but has anyone else been reading about the possible fate(s) of our Universe. All of it is theory, but the one theory that sticks out the most to me is the one that seems most plausible. Or at least realistic, and that is our Universe entering a Dark Era.

Everyone here knows that energy runs out, that it doesn't last forever. That some day the last star will die, the last planet will either wander around space in the cold and dark, or be swallowed up by a black hole. And then the last black hole will eventually phizz out into nothingness, leaving nothing but blackness, cold darkness in every direction. If there is light left in the universe, it's too far away and can't doesn't reach you.

Knowing this, would you wish for eternal life? Would you wish to live forever, imagine being the only THING left in the universe. Your floating around space, it's so dark you can't even see yourself.

That's it, you'll never die, but if the Universe died out, and were to be no more, would you still exist? A site, http://www.exitmundi.nl/exitmundi.htm, poses this question, there solution is to turn ourselves into cyborgs should we manage to last that long. But even then we would have a whole new set of problems.

So basically, I am a curious soul wondering if anybody else out there dreams of the Universe and how it will all end. We can save Earth, the Sun, move to another Solar System if need be, then to another galaxy and so on and so forth.

Try to imagine living for an eternity, would you out live the Universe?

 

[ramparts]

Well, first off, energy doesn't "run out" - in fact, it does last forever. Conservation of mass-energy is one of the bedrock principles of all physics. Energy doesn't just appear out of nowhere, or disappear into the abyss.

The best theories and data suggest that our universe will undergo runaway expansion, and end up in a state filled with supermassive black holes (which I believe would, as you suggest, eventually radiate away, leaving a very thin bath of elementary particles). Obviously I wouldn't want to be around for that - but think about it, if everything else in the universe is going to meet that fate, don't bet on any hypothetical immortals surviving to see that time, either They'd meet the same fate as everything else.

</nihilism>

 

[nimbus]

Knowing this, would you wish for eternal life? Would you wish to live forever, imagine being the only THING left in the universe. Your floating around space, it's so dark you can't even see yourself.

We've got billions of years to figure out whether that's how it is, and how to do something about it.

 

[origin]

I don't know what you are talking about - I just read that the oldest person on record lived to 122 years. That is considerable less than eternity.

As long as the universe does not end in the 20 years or so it is not my problem.

 

[Woggles]

Try to imagine living for an eternity, would you out live the Universe?

I would have to say no, we couldn't. But you do bring to mind the eternal sole. If you believe in that. If you believe in the eternal life (sole) as in religion would that exist beyond the end of the universe? Would God for that matter?

 

[origin]

Try to imagine living for an eternity, would you out live the Universe?

I would have to say no, we couldn't. But you do bring to mind the eternal sole. If you believe in that. If you believe in the eternal life (sole) as in religion would that exist beyond the end of the universe? Would God for that matter?

Eternal sole? Hell, I have never had a pair of shoes last more than about 5 years and those were 'dress' shoes that I hardly ever wore. (Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!)

 

[MeteorWayne]

Thank you origin. From what I here the rubber soles are the best, at least accordioning to the beetles.

 

[origin]

Thank you origin. From what I here the rubber soles are the best, at least accordioning to the beetles.

As one of the worst offenders of terrible spelling I shouldn't poke the hornets nest so to speak.... Isn't it the Beatles?

I am really asking for it!! :twisted:

 

[Woggles]

That to funny Origin!! Loved it!! And Oooooooohhhh your so going to get it!!!!

 

[origin]

That to funny Origin!! Loved it!! And Oooooooohhhh your so going to get it!!!!

And I will deserve all the abuse I get...

 

[emperor_of_localgroup]

So basically, I am a curious soul wondering if anybody else out there dreams of the Universe and how it will all end.
Try to imagine living for an eternity, would you out live the Universe?

Yup, I like to see the end of the universe, even if it takes trillions of years. Yes, that's curiosity.
Then again, I don't like to stay stuck with this solar system either, our boring media will kill me.

 

[yevaud]

Holly: "Sartre once defined hell as spending an eternity locked into a room with your mates."

Lister: "Yeah, but all of his mates were French."

(Thanks to Red Dwarf)

 

[TrahmalG]

Thanks for all the replies.

If you were unable to die, you could actually witness either the ascension of the human race, or the ending of the human race.

If you were unable to die, do you think you'd survive a black hole? Just things I wonder about, although it's kind of hard to fathom stuff so big. Who thinks about what might happen billions to trillions of years into the future?

 

[origin]

Thanks for all the replies.
If you were unable to die, do you think you'd survive a black hole?

If you were unable to die, how could you not survive?

 

[nimbus]

Of interest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Point_(Tipler)

as the universe comes to an end at a singularity in a particular form of the Big Crunch, the computational capacity of the universe (in terms of both its processor speed and memory storage) is capable of increasing unlimitedly such that its rate of increase is accelerating exponentially faster than the proper time which is running out, allowing an infinite number of bits to be processed and stored before the end of time.

 

[TrahmalG]

Thanks for all the replies.
If you were unable to die, do you think you'd survive a black hole?

If you were unable to die, how could you not survive?

Well I guess you wouldn't die, but would you end up horribly disfigured? Ya know how you get stretched when you near the center of the black hole. You would survive all that, going around in circles with gas and dust all. Then you would survive coming out of the other end, but would you return to your shape?

It'd be cool to survive a black hole and see what's on the other side, if there is another side. But I'm thinking that you would die because of what happens to you during the process of being pulled in.

 

[TrahmalG]

Of interest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Point_(Tipler)

as the universe comes to an end at a singularity in a particular form of the Big Crunch, the computational capacity of the universe (in terms of both its processor speed and memory storage) is capable of increasing unlimitedly such that its rate of increase is accelerating exponentially faster than the proper time which is running out, allowing an infinite number of bits to be processed and stored before the end of time.

This is basically what spurred my curiousity. I was at Wikipedia reading about all the ways the Universe could theoretically end, so it made me wonder about what civilization would be around for that. Or if you had the "power" to live eternally, would you outlive the universe? I don't think so, but if you can't die then ya know. I think it's pretty weird.

 

[Fallingstar1971]

Hmmmmmm

To wish for eternal life....

I wonder what I would do with all that time that I couldn't do now?

But If I was around, I would have no worries. With no Universe, 0+0=+1 decaying to -1 through time =0 (no backward time travel possible because its a product of decay. I dont think you can un-decay something.....)

So, even though it would be nice to be around to confirm or deny this, I would say no, on the grounds that I could not justify the need to live forever.

And with all things equaling zero in the end, all I have to say is that if it happened once, it could happen again

Star

 

[vogon13]

Curiously, despite being mortal, I have experienced at least the sensation of immortality, and I found it rather unpleasant.

Be careful what you wish for.

Some time ago, Scientific American had an article that among other things, defined some of the challenges of living for a vast expanse of time. The one I found most striking was that however many atoms make up your brain (or whatever passes for such in that epoch) as long as the # of atoms is not infinite, you will eventually start rethinking the same thoughts as your brain will have exhausted all possible unique states.


And at that point, you aren't really alive anymore, you are just a repeat.

 

[dreamer45]

Yeah i would want to live an eternal life, then i wouldn't die not knowing. But hey, maybe you wouldn't be floating forever in darkness. Our universe is made now right? Why can't a new one form? Anyway trillions of years to go, just think how long away that is lol its just so far!

 

[vogon13]

For an immortal 'brain' of comparable size to our own to last long enough for thoughts to start their inevitable repeating we are talking of time spans that are immense.

By that time, all the black holes (even the really big ones) will have evaporated into nothing, and the universe will be extremely cold, dark and empty.

Just you, alone with your thoughts, forever.

 

[R1]

Curiously, despite being mortal, I have experienced at least the sensation of immortality, and I found it rather unpleasant.

Be careful what you wish for.

Some time ago, Scientific American had an article that among other things, defined some of the challenges of living for a vast expanse of time. The one I found most striking was that however many atoms make up your brain (or whatever passes for such in that epoch) as long as the # of atoms is not infinite, you will eventually start rethinking the same thoughts as your brain will have exhausted all possible unique states.


And at that point, you aren't really alive anymore, you are just a repeat.

A new dimension could be leaked into, or whatever passes for neurons can start to use newly formed or
seldom used receptors, as the so called human 'time' in eternal life progresses. Once you have exhausted all possible chess configurations, you will start adding other levels to the board. Even before moving up to two level games,
it could possibly make a difference if acth receptors get 50% signaling, and canopius receptors get 20% more stimulus.
I know, this would still end up in a rerun, but even before expanding a new universe dimension, the brain can still be
allowed to re-organize it's memory during sleep, and perhaps even forget several parts of the game from time to time.

Even God is able to forget man from time to time, as he wishes; iirc, He did actually 'remember' man at some point in time, did He not?. Similarly, man can possibly forget certain eons, such that approaching the exhaustion of configurations would be something not too worrisome, perhaps.

 

[origin]

Life is exhausting. Death is peaceful. I think we all deserve a rest after living.

People tell me that they can't imagine not existing - I say remember the 15 billion years before you were born, well it's like that, not really so scary....

 

[nimbus]

For an immortal 'brain' of comparable size to our own to last long enough for thoughts to start their inevitable repeating we are talking of time spans that are immense.

By that time, all the black holes (even the really big ones) will have evaporated into nothing, and the universe will be extremely cold, dark and empty.

Just you, alone with your thoughts, forever.

And mankind would have managed to survive that long, without any change to his brain or anything done to deal with such a prospect as "alone with [his] thoughts, forever"? I don't think so..

 

[Couerl]

I'm only 43 and I'm already bored for the most part. I look forward to the eternal dirt nap.