Two unconsidered consequences of the concept of 'infinite regress' exist. In simple terms, this concept refers to a sequence of events that never had a beginning.
I consider both of these consequences absurd but necessary implications of infinite regress. They are based on the premise that whatever is physically possible must have happened before, not just once but an endless number of times.
One implication is that whatever happened happened not just once but has occurred an endless number of times. Nietzsche called this "eternal recurrence."
One absurd implication is that we are doomed to repeat every single instance of our existence an infinite number of times. Typing this sentence in response to this OP has happened an infinite number of times in exactly the same way and also in minute variations, causing an endless number of related scenarios.
So, we have had this conversation an infinite number of times before. This absurdity is a must for those who propose "infinite regress" or "eternal recurrence."
The second absurd implication is that in infinite previous existences, an infinite number of entities of infinite intelligence must have arisen. Remember your calculus days and the idea of a fixed largest number. There is always a number bigger than this number. Just add 1.
So, any intelligence at a fixed level could always become more intelligent/powerful in any of the previous existences. Just look at our current world and the implications of AI (artificial intelligence). In this context, AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. To further illustrate this point, I suggest that everyone reading this read Isaac Asimov's short story,' The Last Question.' This story, easily found with an internet search, explores the concept of a computer continually asking how to reverse entropy and its eventual answer as the universe winds down after a trillion years.
The implications of this mode of thinking are that there will not only be one entity with the intelligence to create a universe but an infinite number of them. If anyone disagrees, please provide your reasoning. If they exist, where are these entities of infinite intelligence?
One suggestion is to watch "Groundhog Day" starting about 35:30 minutes from the end where the character Phil Connors says he is a god because he has lived all this a large number of times and cannot die. He knows a lot of things no human could possibly know because he has repeated the same day thousands of times.
So, we have two absurd scenarios. However, anyone using the infinite regress argument must affirm each one.
Two unconsidered consequences of the concept of 'infinite regress' exist. In simple terms, this concept refers to a sequence of events that never had a beginning.
I consider both of these consequences absurd but necessary implications of infinite regress. They are based on the premise that whatever is physically possible must have happened before, not just once but an endless number of times.
One implication is that whatever happened happened not just once but has occurred an endless number of times. Nietzsche called this "eternal recurrence."
One absurd implication is that we are doomed to repeat every single instance of our existence an infinite number of times. Typing this sentence in response to this OP has happened an infinite number of times in exactly the same way and also in minute variations, causing an endless number of related scenarios.
So, we have had this conversation an infinite number of times before. This absurdity is a must for those who propose "infinite regress" or "eternal recurrence."
The second absurd implication is that in infinite previous existences, an infinite number of entities of infinite intelligence must have arisen. Remember your calculus days and the idea of a fixed largest number. There is always a number bigger than this number. Just add 1.
So, any intelligence at a fixed level could always become more intelligent/powerful in any of the previous existences. Just look at our current world and the implications of AI (artificial intelligence). In this context, AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. To further illustrate this point, I suggest that everyone reading this read Isaac Asimov's short story,' The Last Question.' This story, easily found with an internet search, explores the concept of a computer continually asking how to reverse entropy and its eventual answer as the universe winds down after a trillion years.
The implications of this mode of thinking are that there will not only be one entity with the intelligence to create a universe but an infinite number of them. If anyone disagrees, please provide your reasoning. If they exist, where are these entities of infinite intelligence?
One suggestion is to watch "Groundhog Day" starting about 35:30 minutes from the end where the character Phil Connors says he is a god because he has lived all this a large number of times and cannot die. He knows a lot of things no human could possibly know because he has repeated the same day thousands of times.
So, we have two absurd scenarios. However, anyone using the infinite regress argument must affirm each one.