What is "eternal return"

n. (context cosmology religion philosophy English) eternal recurrence.

Eternal return (also known as "eternal recurrence") is a concept that the universe and all existence and energy has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a self-similar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space. The concept is found in Indian philosophy and in ancient Egypt and was subsequently taken up by the Pythagoreans and Stoics. With the decline of antiquity and the spread of Christianity, the concept fell into disuse in the Western world, with the exception of Friedrich Nietzsche, who connected the thought to many of his other concepts, including amor fati.

In addition, the philosophical concept of eternal recurrence was addressed by Arthur Schopenhauer. It is a purely physical concept, involving no supernatural reincarnation, but the return of beings in the same bodies. Time is viewed as being not linear but cyclical.

The “eternal return” is an idea for interpreting religious behavior proposed by the historian Mircea Eliade; it is a belief expressed through behavior (sometimes implicitly, but often explicitly) that one is able to become contemporary with or return to the “ mythical age” – the time when the events described in one’s myths occurred. It should be distinguished from the philosophical concept of eternal return.

The term Eternal return may mean:

• Eternal return, the philosophical concept
• Eternal Return (Eliade), the term used by the religious historian Mircea Eliade
• The Eternal Return (album), an album by the American metal band Darkest Hour
• Eternal Return, Movie "Вечное возвращение" by film director Kira Muratova (In Russian)

Eternal Return is the fifth studio album by ARIA award-winning Australian singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko. The album was released in Australia on 6 November 2015 through EMI, in the US on 6 November 2015 on Amazon and in the UK on February 5, 2016 through MVKA.