Eternity vs Immortality: Difference and Comparison

English is a beautiful language, but sometimes people get confused between the hundreds of words it provides. It is natural to get overwhelmed with vocabulary and mismatch the words with wrong meanings, which happens with almost everyone.

One such pair that people misunderstand and confuse is Eternity and Immortality.

Key Takeaways

1. Eternity refers to infinite time or duration, while immortality refers to the state of never dying.
2. Eternity is used in a spiritual or philosophical sense, whereas immortality is more literal.
3. Eternity can also refer to a quality or state of being that transcends time, while immortality is more limited to the physical state of not dying.

Eternity vs Immortality

Eternity refers to a state of being that exists outside of time, with no beginning or end. It is associated with religious or philosophical beliefs. Immortality refers to the state of never dying or being able to live forever. This can be thought of as a physical or biological state and is associated with myths about creatures. 

Eternity means the infinite existence of time. Also, some philosophies identify Eternity as something that exists beyond or outside time.

Eternity is a concept that grants the Gods eternal life in different religions. Moreover, Eternity is also defined as the state after death or afterlife where every being enjoys endless existence.

Immortality is the state where a being is exempt from death and relishes a never-ending existence. In some contexts, Immortality is explained as indefinite existence even after death.

For example, some animal species possess the ability of immortal existence as they don’t age with time and hence never die.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Eternity	Immortality
Definition	Infinite existence of time	Infinite existence of life
Etymology	Originated from the Latin word aeternus, which means “without beginning or end.”	Developed from the Latin word immortalis
Beginning	Eternity has no beginning	Immortality has a start but no end
Scientifically possible	Scientifically, there are no eternal beings	Some animals don’t age and can live forever. Hence, they are immortal.
Classical philosophy meaning	Something that exists outside time	Continuation of life even after death

What is Eternity?

Eternity is the unending existence of time with no beginning and no end. However, according to the definition provided by classical philosophy, Eternity refers to the matter that isn’t bound by time and exists outside it.

Alternatively, Eternity is also defined as the state of timelessness.

The concept of Eternity is so overwhelming that no one can fully fathom the depth of this subject. Everyone who tries to study deeper about Eternity ends up amazed and weary because it is hard to grasp this topic using a human brain.

Almost every religion has tried to explore Eternity, and the religious texts provide various viewpoints and definitions of what Eternity is.

In Christianity, Eternity is defined as the existence of the soul and life past death. As told in the Christian texts, God provides eternal life to the deserving according to the rules of Jesus Christ.

In Hinduism, each body contains a soul or atman, which is eternal and isn’t bound by time laws.

Many philosophers have tried to establish a meaningful definition of Eternity. For example, according to Aristotle, the world has existed eternally for all time. He talked about his views in his books and tried to explain the concept using Physics.

What is Immortality?

Immortality is a unique state where beings don’t experience death. However, sometimes Immortality is also defined as the infinite existence of body and soul in the afterlife (after death).

In many religions, Immortality is defined as the existence of the soul after the physical death of the body.

The word “Immortality” originated from the Latin word immortalis, which means “deathless” or “undying,” and the English word mortal.

Immortalis was made by joining two Latin words: in- and mortalis. In- meant “not,” and mortalis meant “mortal,” essentially meaning “not mortal.”

Some organisms like Hydra and Sturdy Turtles aren’t affected by age and can, theoretically, live forever if they aren’t susceptible to diseases and predators.

However, scientists have argued that humans can achieve biological Immortality by using technologies like mind uploading and cryopreservation.

Different religions share different viewpoints on the concept of Immortality. Christians believe that everyone would be resurrected from the dead and then enjoy the perks of Immortality.

However, in Hinduism, the belief tells that after the body’s physical death, the soul travels and is reincarnated into another being, hence suggesting spiritual Immortality.

In Taoism, if the mortal beings have done a significant amount of good work, they are granted spiritual Immortality.

Main Differences Between Eternity And Immortality

1. Eternity refers to the infinite existence of time. On the other hand, Immortality means the persistent presence of life.
2. The word “Eternity” originated from the Latin word aeternus, meaning “without beginning or end.” On the other hand, the word “Immortality” derives from the Latin word immortalis, which means “not mortal.”
3. Eternity is defined as something that has no beginning and no end. On the other hand, Immortal beings have a defined beginning but don’t have an end.
4. According to Science, there are no eternal beings. But, theoretically, some species are immortal like Hydra, Regenerating Flatworms, Tardigrade, etc.
5. The classical philosophical definition of Eternity says that Eternity is the existence of material outside of time. On the other hand, the classical philosophical purpose of Immortality is that Immortality is the prolongation of mind, body, or soul past physical death.

References

1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2026047
2. https://www.brianrwright.com/Coffee_Coaster/03_Book_Reviews/2007/Books_PDF/070926_ProspectImmortality.pdf

Last Updated : 23 July, 2023