Consolation of Haldane?

Question

The British scientist J.B.S Haldane early in the 20th century came up with a very strange possibility for eternal life; he imagined a far future in which everything in the universe was nothing more than a very thin, cold gas. If you wait long enough, and if the physical conditions of the universe are right, then statistical flucuations in the gas will be suffient to reproduce everything we see around us. After an IMMENSELY long time an identical copy of you and everyone you know and love will be reborn. This will happen not once but an infinite number of times; sometimes you will have full recollection of the previous reincarnations, other times you wont. Do you think the Consolation of Haldane is possible? Also, do you think we have been reincarnated an infinite number of times but for this particular reincarnation we simply have no memory of the previous ones?

You have to remember that we're dealing with an INFINITE amount of time.

No lip, I think you're not getting it, my bad. I mean statistical flucuations in the gas itself will eventually reproduce exactly the earth, sun, and everything in the universe, including you.

Answer 1

Too many "ifs" in here for my liking clamcrunchies.

On a simple and basic level, if the universe eventually reaches a level where it is nothing more than a very thin cold gas, then how could conditions also be right for my rebirth? My life form requires heat, light and water - none of which would be present under these circumstances.

Of course, if we were talking about super-string theory and parallel universes co-existing with our own in different dimensions, then thats a whole different ball game.............


Hi clamcrunchies..........I do understand the concept, but you have to accept that the Consolation of Haldane depends on such physical requirements as whether there is enough matter in the universe to reverse the expansion and the characteristics of vacuum fluctuations.

Even if we ignore these limitations, what "consolation" is there if we have no recollection of our previous lives (how would it be possible for you to "sometimes....have full recollection")?

To say that we will all be recreated merely means that we will be duplicated - not that we will come into existence again. Also, as Carl Sagan points out, in an infinity of time where all things will occur an infinite number of times, it is not just the "good" things that will be repeated............there would be an infinite capacity for the most terrible things that you can think of to occur over and over again.

Is this really a "consolation"?

Nice question though and I'll vote for it...............I think you should stick this in the Philosophy section and see what sort of response you get.

Answer 2

statistical flucuations. The possibility of right conditions for perfect replication would be enormous. i'm going to have to disgree.

INFINITE time considered, there are still some variables that will be hard to replicate due to size and randomness. I was told at the quantum level things act in very odd ways.

Answer 3

Rather like the monkey who types the complete works of Shakespeare. I do not rule it out as impossible. Nor even as improbable. I don't disallow the likelihood of infinite reincarnations, with or without memory. But, no, I can't say I think we have been. Nor can I say I think we haven't. It is entirely possible.

Answer 4

Holy Smokers. That one blew me away. I think anything can be possible. Hopefully I come back a little richer next time hehehe

Answer 5

re incarnation, some human beings imagine some issues and presume it really is occurring, yet for me it isn't authentic such out of the easy moves at the instantaneous are not exisiting there wont be position for the populations

Answer 6

I'm a Christian myself so.....