If you want to find out if humans are considered to be infinite or finite beings then you’ve come to the right article.
As, in this article, you’ll find the exact answer to this question, and also after you’ve read the answer to the main question then I’ll also cover the answers to closely related questions to further extend your knowledge.
I hope you learn a lot from this article!
Are Humans Infinite Or Finite Beings?
The question of whether humans are truly finite beings continues to fixate and enthrall philosophers.
While we may not have a way to answer with any certainty, there are plenty of theories.
The eternalist perspective believes that if the universe is infinite which some theoretical physics models suggest is the case, humans may also be infinite by their inclusion in it.
The skeptical perspective doesn’t necessarily refute the eternalist perspective.
However, it believes the human experience is, unambiguously limited, so any state of infinity existing beyond it cannot be reasonably applied to us.
If human beings cannot comprehend our infinite nature, we shall always remain finite in our minds and base our collective realities on finite experiences.
So is anything beyond this relevant to us?
Some people think we are what we are, regardless of whether we’re fully aware of it.
Others think we are what we believe ourselves to be.
Check out the video below if you want to find out what would happen if humans were immortal.
What Is An Infinite Being?
An infinite being is a being that can, theoretically, live forever.
They are both immortal and infinitely powerful because their abilities have no non-logical limitations.
God is fashioned as the ultimate infinite being.
He exists everywhere all at once.
There are no limits nor restrictions on his presence or power and no place in the universe that he cannot inhabit.
He is supreme.
But there are issues with this spiritual perspective on infinity.
Perhaps the most well-known paradox asks how God, as an infinite being, possibly could and could not create a stone too heavy to be moved.
If he’s all-powerful, he should be able to create anything.
But if he’s all-powerful, there’s nothing he can’t move.
It leads to the question of whether infinity itself is an impossible paradox.
What Is a Finite Being?
Finite beings are mortal beings.
They have a determinate lifespan and cannot live forever.
Although infinity and immortality are often presumed to be the same, theoretically, a finite being could be omnipotent.
It depends on one’s definition of omnipotence and whether it necessitates timelessness as well.
Why Are Humans Not Infinite Beings?
From a biological perspective, humans are not infinite beings because they have a natural lifespan that necessarily ends with death.
A small percentage of humans live significantly longer than their average life expectancy but no human has exceeded the age of 122 years.
Yet, this doesn’t mean humans are not infinite beings.
Eternalists believe that if the universe is infinite, we must also be infinite by being part of it.
Almost every religion comes with its version of an infinite afterlife.
And even science provides evidence of a type of immortality, though it may not cohere completely with religious perspectives.
We know that the cells that gave rise to us have been alive for billions of years and replicating since life began.
From this perspective, a human being is alive everywhere that cells exist.
If the universe is infinite, theoretically, we may be infinite too.
Ultimately, the question of whether humans are finite or infinite beings remains mysterious but it’s a lot of fun to speculate.
Do Humans Have Infinite Potential?
The question of infinite human potential is a tricky one because it depends on how ‘potential’ is defined.
There are lots of different perspectives on this and many conflicting and congruous forms of evidence being held up as proof.
Recent discoveries relating to epigenetic memory seem to show that memories and experiences possessed by our ancestors form part of our genetic code and may even influence the things we like, the behaviors we adopt, and the choices we make.
This suggests some aspects of human memory can persist beyond the death of the human body and might even be infinite.
In 1954, Roger Bannister became the first human being to run a mile in less than four minutes.
His race time stunned scientists who, after a lot of research, had concluded that humans are physically incapable of breaking the four-minute barrier.
Just a few years after Roger’s impossible feat, more than 10,000 people had repeated it.
Today, the fastest mile belongs to Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, and it’s a full sixteen seconds quicker than Bannister’s time.
It raises an interesting question: can we ever know when we’ve reached our potential and, if not, how can we be sure it’s not infinite?
Do Humans Have Infinite Needs?
Whether or not human needs have a natural limit is a question thinkers and philosophers continue to ponder.
The unknowability that’s inherent within all concepts of infinity leads to a paradox of sorts.
How can we be sure human needs are not finite unless we first discover a limit?
But how can we be sure it’s a limit while the human story still unfolds?
For instance, there may be a definite limit on how fast a human being could ever run 200 meters.
It’s almost certain.
But we can’t know for sure until the last ever human has run the last ever 200m.
Where there’s life, there’s potential.
The same unknowability applies to the limitlessness of human needs.
The top tier of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was updated in the late sixties to include spiritual transcendence (over self-actualization) as the ultimate human motivation.
As humans grow more fulfilled physiologically, they have more freedom to ask questions about their origins.
But what if, somehow, science ends up answering those questions?
Would Abraham Maslow’s top tier change again?
Could celestial expansion, or even immortality, become the new motivation?
Our human needs may well be finite but, as our story is still unfolding, it’s impossible to know how our understanding of the world and ourselves will develop.
Is An Actual Infinite Being Possible On This Earth?
It’s impossible to tell with the scientific and philosophical knowledge that we have today.
However, the most convincing way this might become possible assuming an infinite God doesn’t already exist on earth in some form is if humans discover the secret to immortality and/or time travel.
It’s worth noting some people believe humans are infinite beings already but we don’t get to experience this limitlessness.
Infinite versions of ourselves live one life each rather than one version of ourselves experiencing an infinite life.
This theory is called quantum immortality and would mean that we’re infinite beings of a sort.
Check out the video below if you want to get information on the question: “What If Humans Obtained an Infinite Power Source?”.
Can Two Infinite Beings Exist?
At this moment in time, it is impossible to know whether two infinite beings could exist on this earth.
This is the case because there aren’t simply any living organisms out there that are infinite.
In the future, however, this might be possible when, for example, humans have found out how to stop the aging process, and be able to cure all diseases but only time will be able to tell.
Can There Be An Infinity of Humans In the Universe?
Paradoxically, the only way to know for certain that the human species doesn’t continue infinitely in some form is to experience its end.
The only way to answer this question would be through some sort of time travel that enables us to see the death of the human race.
Until we know that this happens, we cannot be certain whether humans will not continue in some form of infinity.