For other philosophy about the concept of eternity and time, see Eternalism.
‟This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence... how well disposed would you have to become to yourself and to life to crave nothing more fervently than this ultimate eternal confirmation and seal?”
–Friedrich Nietzsche
Eternal Return (or Eternal Recurrence) is a philosophical concept which states that time repeats itself in an infinite loop, and that exactly the same events will continue to occur in exactly the same way, over and over again, for eternity.
History[edit | edit source]
Many ancient cultures, particularly in the East, had a cyclical view of time. In these traditions, time was often seen as a recurring pattern of ages or cycles, where events and phenomena repeated themselves in a predictable manner. Lao Tzu believed that Tao was eternal and unchanging, while Chuang Shu went further and pointed out that it would be the eternal reincarnation of feelings.
Eternal return originated in the West through 
Greek Stoicism, which believed that the world was in a constant repetition that led it to restart again. Eternal return theories were firmly refuted by 
Christianity, considering them enemies of 
free will. The spread of Christianity led to a severe blow from the spread of eternal return.
Eternal return was revived in the 19th century under the concept of "eternal recurrence" by the German philosopher
Friedrich Nietzsche who developed the idea in his works "The Gay Science" and "Thus I Speak Zarathustra."
Believes[edit | edit source]
Eternal return believe that the world goes round and round, and, as Nietzsche said, things come back the same each time.
Friendship[edit | edit source]
Friends[edit | edit source]
Ephesian School - The world is an eternal fire.
Taoism - My Eastern allies, it's clear you're doing well.
Nietzscheanism - "This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence... how well disposed would you have to become to yourself and to life to crave nothing more fervently than this ultimate eternal confirmation and seal?"
Holism - Everything connects, and everything repeats in the grand design - we are both part of an eternal whole.
