Resurrection

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(I added the opinion os scientist and transhumanist on ressurection but it is needed that someone do the critic.)
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In his 1994 book ''The Physics of Immortality'', [[physicist]] Frank J. Tipler, an expert on the general theory of relativity,  presented his Omega Point Theory which outlines how a resurrection of the dead could take place at the end of the cosmos.  He posits that humans will evolve into robots which will turn the entire cosmos into a supercomputer which will, shortly before the big crunch, perform the resurrection within its cyberspace, reconstructing formerly dead humans (from information captured by the supercomputer from the past light cone of the cosmos) as avatars within its metaverse.<ref>Frank J. Tipler, ''The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology, God and the Resurrection of the Dead'' (New York: Doubleday, 1994), ISBN 0198519494. 56-page excerpt available [http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385467995 here.]</ref>
 
In his 1994 book ''The Physics of Immortality'', [[physicist]] Frank J. Tipler, an expert on the general theory of relativity,  presented his Omega Point Theory which outlines how a resurrection of the dead could take place at the end of the cosmos.  He posits that humans will evolve into robots which will turn the entire cosmos into a supercomputer which will, shortly before the big crunch, perform the resurrection within its cyberspace, reconstructing formerly dead humans (from information captured by the supercomputer from the past light cone of the cosmos) as avatars within its metaverse.<ref>Frank J. Tipler, ''The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology, God and the Resurrection of the Dead'' (New York: Doubleday, 1994), ISBN 0198519494. 56-page excerpt available [http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385467995 here.]</ref>
  
British [[physicist]] and pioneer in the field of quantum computing]], David Deutsch, agrees with Tipler's Omega Point cosmology and the idea of resurrecting deceased people with the help of quantum computers<ref>David Deutsch (1997). "The Ends of the Universe". The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes—and Its Implications. London: Penguin Press. ISBN 0-7139-9061-9.</ref> but he is critical of Tipler's theological views.
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British [[physicist]] and pioneer in the field of quantum computing, David Deutsch, agrees with Tipler's Omega Point cosmology and the idea of resurrecting deceased people with the help of quantum computers<ref>David Deutsch (1997). "The Ends of the Universe". The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes—and Its Implications. London: Penguin Press. ISBN 0-7139-9061-9.</ref> but he is critical of Tipler's theological views.
  
 
Italian [[physicist]] and computer scientist, Giulio Prisco presents the idea of quantum archaeology or the idea of finding stored information in the universe about each human to resurrect everyone with reversible computing.<ref>http://giulioprisco.blogspot.fr/2011/12/quantum-archaeology.html</ref>The other idea is to use time scanning or uncovering the past by means of available evidence and records and use the information to resurrect the dead. Since it is not a time travel there is no paradoxes.<ref>http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/06/28/engineering-transcendence-addendum-from-2011/</ref>
 
Italian [[physicist]] and computer scientist, Giulio Prisco presents the idea of quantum archaeology or the idea of finding stored information in the universe about each human to resurrect everyone with reversible computing.<ref>http://giulioprisco.blogspot.fr/2011/12/quantum-archaeology.html</ref>The other idea is to use time scanning or uncovering the past by means of available evidence and records and use the information to resurrect the dead. Since it is not a time travel there is no paradoxes.<ref>http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/06/28/engineering-transcendence-addendum-from-2011/</ref>

Revision as of 03:25, 30 April 2014

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Religion

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Resurrection refers to the revival of previously dead humans to some degree of existence on Earth which can range from limping about the place, moaning, and feasting on humans, to shifting a massive boulder out of ones resting place in order to walk the Earth as the Son of God once again.

The Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all refer at some point in their holy texts to some degree of resurrection of the dead on Judgment Day to face God and what awaits them in the afterlife.

Although the three Abrahamic religions - as well as several other religions - make reference to the occurrence of resurrection, there is no solid evidence in recent times of a human corpse becoming reanimated and walking on Earth after death, either with or without a soul. There are several accounts of resurrections in the Bible, the most significant being that of Jesus Christ in roughly 28 or 29 CE.[1]

Contents

Christianity

Resurrection is mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible - both the Resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of humankind to face Christ on Judgment Day.

Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
Luke 14:14, New International Version

Christianity teaches that the basis for Christian hope lies in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and without this mankind would be "trapped in our own sin and weakness."[2] How likely was this resurrection? Richard Carrier, wrote on the supposed resurrection of Jesus,

Can you imagine a movement today claiming that a soldier in World War Two rose physically from the dead, but when you asked for proof all they offered you were a mere handful of anonymous religious tracts written in the 1980's? Would it be even remotely reasonable to believe such a thing on so feeble a proof? Well no.
[3]

If the claim were about an alleged resurrection during the mid 20th century people would certainly ask, "Why was this not recorded at the time? Why did newspapers print nothing? Why were there no radio broadcasts about it? Why was nothing shown in cinemas/movie theatres during newsreel? All the above would be expected for a major newsworthy event of that time. Even if the promoters of the resurrection concept could provide plausible explanations why everything except the 1980's tracts was hushed up ordinary people would still be skeptical. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Actual resurrection and Transhumanism

In his 1994 book The Physics of Immortality, physicist Frank J. Tipler, an expert on the general theory of relativity, presented his Omega Point Theory which outlines how a resurrection of the dead could take place at the end of the cosmos. He posits that humans will evolve into robots which will turn the entire cosmos into a supercomputer which will, shortly before the big crunch, perform the resurrection within its cyberspace, reconstructing formerly dead humans (from information captured by the supercomputer from the past light cone of the cosmos) as avatars within its metaverse.[4]

British physicist and pioneer in the field of quantum computing, David Deutsch, agrees with Tipler's Omega Point cosmology and the idea of resurrecting deceased people with the help of quantum computers[5] but he is critical of Tipler's theological views.

Italian physicist and computer scientist, Giulio Prisco presents the idea of quantum archaeology or the idea of finding stored information in the universe about each human to resurrect everyone with reversible computing.[6]The other idea is to use time scanning or uncovering the past by means of available evidence and records and use the information to resurrect the dead. Since it is not a time travel there is no paradoxes.[7]

Ray Kurzweil, American scientist, inventor and futurist believes that when the singularity happens it will be possible to resurrect the dead by digital recreation.[8]


Russian philosopher and transhumanist Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov advocated resurrection of the dead using scientific methods. Fedorov tried to plan specific actions for scientific research of the possibility of restoring life and making it infinite. His first project is connected with collecting and synthesizing decayed remains of dead based on "knowledge and control over all atoms and molecules of the world". The second method described by Fedorov is genetic-hereditary. The revival could be done successively in the ancestral line: sons and daughters restore their fathers and mothers, they in turn restore their parents and so on. This means restoring the ancestors using the hereditary information that they passed on to their children. Using this genetic method it is only possible to create a genetic twin of the dead person. It is necessary to give back the revived person his old mind, his personality. Fedorov speculates about the idea of "radial images" that may contain the personalities of the people and survive after death. Nevertheless, Fedorov noted that even if a soul is destroyed after death, Man will learn to restore it whole by mastering the forces of decay and fragmentation.[9]

Revival of the "dead" can be achieved in limited instances through medical equipment such as defibrillators and techniques such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, this usually only occurs in very short time frames (a few minutes) between death and "resurrection" and assumes that all bodily functions have not completely shut down — and the results are almost never like they are in Hollywood.

Other uses

The notion of "resurrection" is also affiliated today with the revival of deceased humans to walk the Earth, devoid of a soul. These walking undead creatures, known as "zombies", have several characteristics that differentiate them from the average living human;

  • zombies are technically dead,
  • zombies walk around emitting low moaning noises,[10]
  • zombies feast on the brains of humans.[11]

As aforementioned, no zombie holocaust has yet been recorded. Or maybe that's because no one was left alive to record it... eh? Yeah... think about it.

See also

Footnotes

  1. Mark 16:1-19
  2. http://www.gospel.com/topics/resurrect
  3. Why I Don't Buy the Resurrection Story (6th ed., 2006)
  4. Frank J. Tipler, The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology, God and the Resurrection of the Dead (New York: Doubleday, 1994), ISBN 0198519494. 56-page excerpt available here.
  5. David Deutsch (1997). "The Ends of the Universe". The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes—and Its Implications. London: Penguin Press. ISBN 0-7139-9061-9.
  6. http://giulioprisco.blogspot.fr/2011/12/quantum-archaeology.html
  7. http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/06/28/engineering-transcendence-addendum-from-2011/
  8. http://www.singularityweblog.com/ray-kurzweil-singularity/
  9. Nikolai Berdyaev, The Religion of Resusciative Resurrection. "The Philosophy of the Common Task of N. F. Fedorov.
  10. Not to be confused with English people
  11. Whether some humans also engage in this activity is disputable.
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