Well, as I am toting the name Durandal, I feel obliged to bring up the obsession of my namesake: The eventual closing of the universe.
Actually though, I won't, since the scientific community is virtually in agreement that the universe will not collapse, but continue expanding. This does, however, bring up an equally threatening problem, namely the Heat Death of the universe. Those of you with less of a physics understanding try and stay with me here.
As time passes, the entropy of the universe always increases. Entropy is the measure of disorder in a system, or the measure of the unavailability of the energy in the system to do work. Here's a simple example. If you have 100 dice, and you set them in stacks of 10, they you have given order to the system (the dice). Thus, you have decreased the entropy of this system. When the stacks of dice fall, the potential energy they have is converted to kinetic energy, which is transferred to sound, heat, etc, when the dice hit the floor. After they stop moving and they are all lying flat on the ground, there is no kinetic or potential energy, and no work can be done, so entropy has increased. When the dice were in stacks, they were ordered, when on the ground, they are disordered.
This example is very basic, but the effects of entropy can be seen in a glass of ice water too. A glass has water in it, and ice cubes in it. There is a temperature difference between the two, so they are 'ordered.' As time goes on, entropy increases, and the ice melts as the water cools. When the two have merged, there is high entropy and low order.
This is why entropy has been referred to as a way to mark the passing of time. The entropy of the universe always increases, as the universe as a whole goes from more ordered to less ordered. At the point of the singularity (the big bang) the universe was in its most ordered state. Entropy was equal to zero. As time goes on, things like pressure, density, and temperature differences tend to equalize, like the ice in the glass. This means that over the whole of the universe, the ordered regions (galaxies) are being spread out into higher states of disorder.
I'm going to skip some and get right to it. Eventually, after an incredibly long time, the universe is going to be in a completely disordered state. This will consist of the entire plane of existence being filled evenly with the God Particle (the smallest unit of matter [if you believe that exists, which I do]). Energy will exist everywhere in equal amounts, and none of it will be available to do work. This will literally be the heat death of the universe, as all parts of the universe will be the same temperature: really cold.
My point is, that if someone were to be immortal, even if they weren't affected by entropy as everything else in existence is, they would live through to the point of ultimate disorder, in which case they would be floating in near-vacuum, with absolutely nothing to keep them occupied. This would continue, for eternity.
So, in conclusion, no, I would not wish this fate upon myself. I'm sorry if I lost anybody there, and I'm also sorry if I offended anyone more knowledgeable than myself for my oversimplification. And please don't smack me with a spoon, Demecas...
|