大象传媒

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?

Anglican priest, writer and broadcaster Peter Owen-Jones begins the series with a passionate call for eternity to be reclaimed from those - among them both atheist rationalists and dogma-serving priests - who have tried to place it out of our reach.

Producer: Hugh Costello
A Whistledown Production for 大象传媒 Radio 3.