Main content

Desperately Seeking Eternity: Naomi Alderman

Novelist and game creator Naomi Alderman argues that mathematical theories about infinity could take the place of God in the lives of those without religious faith.

All the established religions teach some form of existence after life, from concepts of heaven and hell to theories of reincarnation. Common to all is the principle that good or bad actions in this life will have repercussions after death.

But how relevant are these theories of the afterlife to the world we live in now? New developments in science, philosophy and technology threaten to undermine our traditional ideas of eternity - and even threaten to render them obsolete. In this series, five writers set out to explore ideas of eternity, infinity and the afterlife from fresh viewpoints. Does our insistence on measuring and categorising time serve to make eternity even more unknowable? What can the principles of mathematics tell us about the tricky subject of infinity? How would people feel about eternity if they could live to be 200 years old?

Novelist and game creator Naomi Alderman grew up with an Orthodox Jewish take on eternity. She now suspects that mathematical theories about infinity could take the place of God in the lives of those without religious faith.

Producer: Hugh Costello
A Whistledown Production for 91热爆 Radio 3.

Available now

15 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 24 Mar 2016 22:45
  • Wed 22 Nov 2017 22:45

Death in Trieste

Death in Trieste

A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.

Watch: My Deaf World

Watch: My Deaf World

Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.

The Book that Changed Me

Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.

Download The Essay

Download The Essay

Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.

Podcast