The Theory of Eternal Recurrence

Eternal Recurrence is a concept which states that our Universe has been eternally recurring and, will continue to do so for an infinite amount of times.

Eternal Recurrence had its beginnings in Indian Philosophy. Centuries later, Greece and Rome also took up this concept, which would eventually disappear with the decline of Antiquity.

--With Christianity having taken control of European thought in the middle ages. The concept of Eternal Recurrence disappeared from Western Philosophy altogether.

During the 19^th Century, Nietzsche revived this idea into Western Culture again. Nietzsche, an atheist, had secular views on Eternal Recurrence; however, Eternal Recurrence became the central philosophy for his famous novel "Thus Spoke Zarathustra." Nietzsche first introduces Zarathustra in aphorism 341 of his previous philosophical work "The Gay Science." Nietzsche expounds the idea, of a world in which one is forced to return to live one's life over and over again-forever. Nietzsche himself, said the idea of Zarathustra came to him when he was visiting the shore of Lake Silvaplana in the Upper Engadine, a high alpine region whose valley floor is at 6000 ft. According to Nietzsche, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" was all about the idea of Eternal Recurrence-but in a positive and self affirming way.

The concept of cyclical patterns is also very common in Indian religions. The wheel of life is the basis of both Hinduism and Buddhism among others. No one knows for certain, but Eternal Recurrence has been thought of by some to have been the precursor to the concept of Reincarnation. However, Eternal Recurrence doesn't believe in Karma (also known in popular culture as 'The Golden Rule'). How well one behaves towards his fellow man/woman, or, how well one conducts one's own life won't stop Eternal Recurrence from taking place. You cannot halt Eternal Recurrence, furthermore, Nirvana doesn't exist. Nietzsche paints a very dark picture of Eternal Recurrence in "The Gay Science" by referring to the section in which he discusses it as: "The Heaviest Burden" known to man. (Aphorism 341 of "The Gay Science").

Even though, Eternal Recurrence will never be as popular or rewarding to belief in as Reincarnation is. The concept of Eternal Recurrence predates Reincarnation by at least one thousand years. So, it should be no surprise to anyone the similarities, as well as dissimilarities between "Eternal Recurrence" and "Reincarnation."

One of the most famous takes on Eternal Recurrence was done in the movie: "Groundhog Day." In this movie, Bill Murray is forced to live the same day over and over again. Another take on Eternal Recurrence comes from Woody Allen's film: "Hannah and her Sisters." In this film, Woody Allen dreads the idea of having to watch "Ice Capades" over and over again....

Wikipedia sources