Immortality
Immortality refers to the belief in continued existence beyond physical death, often associated with the concept of an intangible identity such as a soul or mental imprint. This idea is prevalent across various cultures, religions, and mythologies, with historical figures and deities often portrayed as immortal. Many early civilizations and religious traditions held that one's afterlife experience was influenced by their earthly deeds, leading to beliefs in reward or punishment after death. Different religious perspectives, such as those found in Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, offer unique interpretations of immortality, including concepts of reincarnation and journeys to realms like heaven or hell.
Philosophically, theories of immortality can be categorized into mundane—living indefinitely on Earth—and transmundane, which posits existence in another realm post-death. The pursuit of immortality has inspired literature and popular culture, featuring characters and stories that explore the implications of eternal life, such as in "Tuck Everlasting" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Scientifically, researchers have studied certain animals known for their longevity and regenerative capabilities, like the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii and certain turtle species, seeking insights into the potential for human immortality. Overall, immortality remains a profound and multifaceted topic that continues to captivate human imagination.
Immortality
Immortality is the idea or belief in a continued form of existence beyond the physical death of the body by an intangible identity such as a soul or mental imprint. It is often extended to the idea of an undying physical form in literature and mythology.
Anthropologists and historians have demonstrated that belief in a continued existence beyond human death was popular in many early civilizations and religious traditions. This eventually mingled with the idea that one's afterlife reflected physical life through judgment, punishment, and reward.
Religious figures such as deities, as well as many mythical heroes and beasts, were often described as immortal. Immortality was often granted as a reward or gift for those who behaved admirably in the face of adversity and challenge. The concept is featured in folklore and literature, and continues to be popular into the twenty-first century. Modern religious groups such as Christians maintain a belief in an immortal afterlife through either heaven or hell.
The study and discussion of immortality in philosophy has been largely replaced with an interest in science, although it remains a central feature of many religions.
Religious and Philosophical Theories
Many of the world's religions have theories about immortality, or what happens after death. In Hinduism, teachings suggest that the human soul is ultimately indestructible; it has no beginning or end and simply moves from one body to the next in a cycle of physical death and reincarnation. Hinduism describes the ultimate release from such a cycle as moksha, which the religion suggests is better than the infinite loop that the soul experiences. Both Islamic and Christian religions place immortality as an experience that occurs after physical death, as one journeys into an afterlife that is divided into realms such as heaven and hell.
Philosophy has two theories about immortality: the mundane and the transmundane. According to the mundane theory, humans simply continue to live forever on Earth and do not succumb to a physical death. Alternatively, the transmundane theory suggests that humans continue to live forever in either an earthly or a transcendent world after experiencing a physical death.
History and Popular Culture
Several cultures worldwide have embraced the idea of immortality for centuries. Many scholars included it in their studies, such as Aristotle, Plato, Avicenna, Immanuel Kant, and Augustine of Hippo. Plato discussed immortality, arguing that the human soul was indestructible. Historical records and literature intertwine as humans, both real and fictitious, searched for, or achieved immortality. Figures such as Comte de Saint Germain and Nicholas Flamel were supposed to have discovered the secret to eternal life. Flamel is connected to the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life, alchemical concoctions that were much sought after during the Middle Ages in Europe. In the third century B.C.E., Qin Shi Huang, the emperor of China, consumed mercury, believing it would grant eternal life. Many practices such as ingesting gold, herbs, and mushrooms as well as meditations and even sexual acts were all thought to be plausible providers of immortality. Artifacts such as the Fountain of Youth and the Holy Grail were rumored to grant immortality and thus were the object of many quests.
In literature, immortality has been a recurring plot device as living beyond an allotted human life span offers limitless potential. The classic novels Tuck Everlasting, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Peter Pan all approach immortality differently. Dorian Gray is a sinful man whose portrait absorbs his evil deeds and ages, while he himself appears young and pure in appearance. The Tuck family discovered immortality by accident after drinking water from a spring. Peter Pan is the child of Neverland who never grows up, remaining impish and playful. Contemporary literature continues producing immortal characters, namely vampires and other supernatural creatures that have been affected by some change, thus halting the aging process.
Scientific Advances
Because it is impossible for scientists to track a truly immortal creature, they have studied several animal species with abilities that enable them to live an exceptionally long time. For example, when it is an adult, the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii can reverse its life cycle by reverting its cells back to a juvenile form. The tiny female invertebrate Bdelloid rotifer reproduces by spawning identical clone daughters that some say enables it to have an immortal life span. In 2012, researchers from the University of Nottingham published the results of a study on a species of flatworm with remarkable regeneration abilities. The worm can regenerate itself by healing injuries and replacing damaged cells. If the worm is sliced in half, it becomes two new worms.
Scientists have also studied turtles, one of the longest-living animals on Earth. Turtles have existed for more than 230 million years and some have a life span that has been recorded to be longer than two centuries. Turtles' organs do not break down or become less efficient with age. Scientists speculate that some turtle species only die from disease or outside forces. Scientists continue to research turtles in the hope of finding medicines or treatments that will finally unlock immortality for human beings.
Bibliography
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