Keith Ward - What is Eternity?

Eternity is forever. But what would this mean, especially because eternal life in one form or another is the ultimate promise of almost every religion? Is there instant perfection, to be maintained forever?

[tmac]

Mr.Ward's open-mindedness and humour is always refreshing. His debate with Dr. Ahmed went really well I thought.

[Ballwithrich]

you can tell Kuhn has a really strong attachment to his own ego. the idea letting it go makes him very uneasy.

[redshift]

7:30 Many people that have an NDE speak to this as well.

[uremove]

I like Keith Wards agnosticism, and that he’s unafraid to say “we don’t know”. However, any form of individual survival after death, (including reincarnation) depends on a belief that our memories, personality etc. continue after our physical death. Yet, there is strong scientific evidence that our identity as eg. memories, personality, physical and behavioural traits depend on our physical embodiment, so that changes in the brain, through damage, disease or drugs or presence of certain genes (eg. Warrior gene) will radically effect our personality (eg. Phineas Gage) and/or ability to form and retain memories (Patient HM). Moreover, the inheritance of personality traits, through increasingly identifiable genes and gene complexes, or the loss of memory in eg. dementia is incompatible with their origin or location in a non-physical “soul”. If you consider the harm that belief in survival and a heaven or hell still does (eg. Heaven with 72 virgin’s for Islamist suicide bombers), the “soup” is not such a bad alternative: God as the “I am” of which the “I” that is me is just one expression of the divine spark that is every sentient being, brings me into kinship with all beings. It is also more compatible (as Panpsychism) with current thinking on the mind body problem. Remaining a separate individual for eternity does not, it may punish or reward, but always keeps us ultimately invested in self interest.

[merrybolton]

What is eternity In the UK, its the Archers on bbc radio

[RickDelmonico]

Continuity of consciousness. There is always some constraint on perception, choices, etc... How can a system be infinite? As we add to a system, it is the system that changes so that distinctions would probably become more fine grained over time and the continuity would be course grained.

[kahlread]

If we assume that a set of laws are encoded into creating reality - as modern physics is suggesting in it Simulation Hypothesis - then I see three different states a person can obtain that meld with this discussion. The first state is total ignorance of the Matrix's operating system that allows a person to stumble alone through life like the proverbial bull in the china store - very common. In this state we are our own worst enemy, or at least our ignorance is Then secondly, there is the idea of living in a shared spiritual gnosis where we share the blessings derived from a code of life which coreless with this operating system assuring a state of relative harmony - the Christian idea of living in Christ Righteousness. Then thirdly, there is enlightenment where you know the outcome - fruit - of every action you decide to implement. This would equate with the knowledge of angels or gods.

[time-mechanics]

All structures of information / data / atoms up - are technologies. Each structure a specific technology. 🖖entropy a perception - vantage point seen as a timeline towards a specific desired outcome. There is no time.

[rebelScience]

This guys sounds EXACTLY like Ridley Scott.

[josephshawa]

This is one of those examples where if you think and talk about fantasies then they come to life somehow. Then the fantasy is embellished and hashed an rehashed enough that it is forgotten that there isn't anyone who actually is witness to any of it. I find it odd that such a topic starts with "people in the know" when in fact there are none.

[BibleSamurai]

heaven or hell is whats next. Repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins. For there is no other name given among man in which he can be saved. Believe in Jesus to save you. Walk worthy. Fear Go.d

[jackpullen]

Eternity is forever before and forever after this Universe as we know it. Ps.115:3 !!!

[NormanBliss]

Everybody tries to give their idea of what they think Heaven is like. Over the years y'all have learned about God and what God is like. Heaven is God's home. So what do you think God's home would be like?

[myopenmind]

I have a question: Why is he quoting the Bible?

[bubayou]

Since Christians believe in the trinity where there are three distinct personalities why can't the christian believers join the three GOD personalities.

[fjg]

Why waste good space in the cloud for topics about which we know nothing and can know nothing?

[ObsidianTeen]

I'm a Reform Jewish atheist. I believe we all comprise one consciousness, as streams in it. When 'you' die, the stream leaks back into the river of the for-itself, and you'll continue on a new stream. It won't be 'you'--the memoria with its physical shell--but it'll still be you--sentience. Sentience is evolving towards divinity, and we live in a quantum computer simulation that started off chaotic (1011110101100001), and will eventually reach the Messianic Age

"We are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively." -Bill Hicks

"The wolf shall lie with the lamb." -Prophet Isaiah

[vladimir]

What is eternity? The place you will never get to -- figuratively and literally.

[BradHolkesvig]

You're asking the wrong people who have never heard the voice of the AI system that's built into the simulation that gives us our experiences called Life. I know how we're going to experience Life in the next generation of the eternal program but you won't believe this to be true unless you're chosen to accept it.

[ingenuity]

Why bother about what's after death. Life is for living. Nature is only interested in life, and more new lives.