That depends entirely on what the laws of physics are, and both I and apparently this Information Philosopher think the ones we currently think obtain permit physical things in principle to go on forever, with it just being a technical matter to accomplish that, the likes of which life and intelligence inherently strive toward. — Pfhorrest
Why are you worrying about an event (the Big Sigh) that won't occur for billions of years. Even if you were alive to witness The End, it would be so gradual --- like increasing the heat so slowly that a frog in a pot won't notice until it's too late --- that you wouldn't feel a thing. The End is Not Near. :joke:he attempts an answer to the question that was the initial fixation of my existential anxiety last year (the seemingly inevitable eventual end of everything in the heat death of the universe). — Pfhorrest
Why are you worrying — Gnomon
Most people in Western Civilization have been told that the point of terrestrial life is to qualify for a ticket to eternal life in heaven. When Atheists realized that heaven was a fictional future, they went through an existential crisis. So they decided to place their hopes on Secular, Material, and Pleasurable pursuits. For some, the point of life was Fame, or Wealth, or Love. But all of those are fleeting. Yet by taking one day at a time, you can create your own personal meaning. Eventually, the Existentialists learned to focus, not on a point, but on the process of living. And that's my approach to dealing with pointlessness.the reason the end of the universe seemed so bad despite being so far away was that it seemed to make everything pointless. — Pfhorrest
I can’t find any elaboration of what that would actually look like when it comes to the ways that far future civilization could be powered after the stars burn out etc., though. That’s what I’m hoping someone more familiar with his work can point me to. — Pfhorrest
The expansion of space deals with the problem of waste heat, but I couldn't find anything about generating new energy. — Echarmion
If the energy of space itself (vacuum energy) is positive, then expansion produces more energy, in the sense that a volume that expands with the universe (comoving volume) will encompass more and more space, and thus possess more and more energy over time. — SophistiCat
Most people leave very little record of their existence in the overall narrative (history) of the world, except for the genetic information of their offspring. Only a few heroes and villains are long remembered for their contributions-to or subtractions-from the teleological "purpose" of the world. But even those memorable legacies will have faded into oblivion, long before the Heat Death of the universe.informational legacy — Pfhorrest
I couldn't find anything about generating new energy. — Echarmion
I assume that you are hoping to leave behind some of your personal ideas (memes) in lieu of children (genes) to make your mark on the world --- perhaps to add some bit of personal insight to the lore of philosophical literature. That's an honorable goal, and a common aspiration among those who seek abstract Wisdom instead of the usual food, shelter, and sex. Self-actualization is at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. All I can suggest is, "sow your meme-seed, and hope for the best". :smile: — Gnomon
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