The Eternal Recurrence: Most Conflicting Philosophical Idea (Essay Sample)

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9/23/2015
Eternal Recurrence
The eternal recurrence is one of the most conflicting philosophical ideas of all time. The theory suggests that there are infinite times and identifiable finite number of events. These events will occur from time to time and again and again infinitely (Nietzsche 341). In comparison to a game of chess, a game is bound to be repeated within a series of played games since there exists a finite number of possible games. The world is compared to this complex chess game where eventually, there will be the recurrence of events most probably in the same order. The interesting bit in this idea encompasses human life with the belief that one’s life will happen again.
While reading works from Heinrich Heine, Nietzsche encountered this idea leading him to explore it greatly (Nietzsche 341). Rebirth can occur, if at all, in a life similar to this life in all respects. The eternal return combines Nietzsche most weighty thoughts, thoughts that were horrifying and almost paralyzed him. However, critics including Alexander Hamas argue that Nietzsche’s view was aligned with the counterfactual principle, "If my life were to recur, it would recur in exactly identical fashion" (Luminet 47).
Nietzsche was not a believer of eternal return but embraced the idea. He reinterpreted it continually and thought of it as the "highest formula of affirmation that is at all attainable" (Golan 9). In this context, the most significant difference between believing and embracing lies in the cognitive attitude (Magnus 141). Believing is affirming the truth and lemma of a particular proposition. On the other hand, embracing relates to less cognitive affirmation. For embracing, an individual need not commit or be concerned. To this effect, the defense of the eternal recurrence as a philosophical idea is not a belief but an embrace of it.
There lies within us a deeply entrenched hope of reconciling our conflicting commitments. The passionate desire for exploring the metaphysical world, the true world, and the other world motivates us into understanding the afterworld. For eternal recurrence to happen, there is the need for an accurate believe and translation of the ‘world beyond.’ There exists a reality beyond and behind appearances as explained in the casual determinism (Magnus 141). From a Biblical perspective, Ecclesiastes 3:1 states that, ‘To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heavens’ (Golan 7). The verse is translated to mean that everything happens in its own time and for a reason.
The Bible in the book of John chapter five and verse 24 says, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life’. Further, 1 Corinthians 15: 51-57 says, ‘Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed…’ The verses prove there is life after death. Two conflicting principles as regards to eternal return are explored in these verses (Golan 13). The first one is all joy wills eternity. Unless we are doers of the guide given to us by our creator, eternity will barely be a test of the value of our lives.
Whereas eternal recurrence may be defended through the use of the afterworld or eternal life, Nietzsche had a principle that there are no Hinterwelten (Nietzsche 341). He was against any belief of an atemporal existence. The heaven of popular Christianity did not exist in his case. However, eternal recurrence cannot be explained in any other way with conclusive evidence and facts without reference to eternal life. There is infinite time hence Nietzsche principle of no Hinterwelten conflicts this idea (Luminet 26).
Objections arise that Nietzsche must have known that his emotions’ demands were irrelevant as relates to the temporal order of the cosmos. His joy’s desire for eternal life could not have led to the conclusion that life and the world were eternal. Under this, Nietzsche’s thinking might be termed incoherent since he considered the past and future cycles as Hinterwelten. It can be concluded that commitments to his three conflicting propositions drove Nietzsche’s notion of eternal recurrence (Nietzsche 341).
Stephen Hawking and Richard Gott are two physicists that have proposed models through which the world could undergo time travel (Luminet 139). Mass and energy have been balanced to create the appropriate cosmological geometry. The arrow of time, a philosophical concept derived from physics discusses cosmology as moving to a certain point after which it undergoes a time reversal process. This process is a result of the T-symmetry with thermodynamic entropy believed to cause a chaotic state (Luminet 141). As an example of how there are same, cyclic, and infinite events, physics uses the Oscillatory Universe model.
The ultimate physical exhaustion witnessed in the universe is necessary for its very existence. Bing finite in its material components and nature, the world can be arranged in any way whatsoever provided it will finally come to a point of exhaustion. A definitive limit to matter arrangement in the universe is possible regardless of the size and ways. Eventually, a point will come when one runs out of future arrangements that are possible. Simply put, there are limited physical models that can build the universe. A cycle for the provisions is bound to occur.
The radical nature of the concept of eternal recurrence provides that its macro-level version exists if and only if the micro-level version is necessary. Events must recur in the same exactness on the macro-level as they recur in the micro-level exactness. Despite Nietzsche’s proof of the concept in The Will to Power as a cosmological phenomenon, no theory can oppose the existence of finite matter.
Georg Simmel seeks clarification of eternal recurrence mathematically but distances himself from Nietzsche’s hypothesis. Three bike wheels (finite matter) started at a single point and spun at n, 2n, and n/pi speeds (Luminet 137). They never returned to the same state (all possible combinations) over infinite time. Simmel concludes that eternal recurrence can work on a micro-level version but not based on Nietzsche’s proof (Luminet 138). Perhaps, the relationship between eternal recurrence and the will to power can justify all possible combinations.
The universal cycle or recurrence can be thought of as a scientific interpretation. There is no initiator needed given that the cycle is self-sustaining. The recurrence is regarded as a fluke and dependent on time and a point in space. Time and space are dependent variables on the relative motion and physical manifestations (Luminet 127). However, the two are independent metaphysical properties. They are human concepts that describe physical properties....