NationStates Jolt Archive

B.C., currently A.D. What's the next one and how will it be started?

Or BCE and CE?

I think we'll be in CE for the rest of our time.. since we'll always be living in the "common era."

The reason for B.C. and A.D. is because we base our calendar on numbers. Of course, no one can definitely say that there is one time zero where everything began. We can now move infinitely forwards and backwards without having to redefine everything.

I don't know if we will last long enough to get to a new era.

Probably until we meet an extraterrestrial culture that doesn't use BC or AD, if ever.

If we ever colonize another planet, that might spur a new era on that planet, especially if communications have not exceeded the speed of light (if possible) by that point. Due to relativity, time pieces on two different planets will not keep the same time, and the day and year cycle of another planet would almost assuredly be different as well, so there'd not be much sense in keeping the same calendar.

Also, there have been minor shifts in this era, considering the change from Julian to modern calendars caused a change of 11 days, I think, therefore moving the demarkation between B.C. and A.D. (the designations of the period) by 11 days as well. Perhaps another refinement will happen if we ever move to metric time.

The only thing there that I can see changing the era would be the forming of a world government. Because it would be either heralded as a great thing for the unity of the human race, and thus recognised, or it will be an authoritarian government that will seek to succeed where the totalitarianisms of the 20th century failed, and will thus change the era to reflect the greatness of the leader. Of course, they would either say the era had always been called that and there were no other eras, or they would rename the previous era to reflect how terrible it was compared to the enlightened rule of the new world government.

Of course, that shouldn't happen, but it's the only thing there that would be celebrated or heralded enough to change the era. I'm sure people are clever enough to laugh in the face of anyone who claims to be Jesus, seeing as he died and was not divine.

[EDIT: not including 'other' as that is too broad.]

A.D. Forever.

Following a one-government ruled world.

Like in Star Trek.

I've Been using AS for wuite awhile now. Welcome to 38AS. ;)

AD forever until the end. :)

Well if there was a world government, it would have to make a new calendar. I mean there are several now, there would have to be one official one for bureaucratic reasons.

If we last that long, well I think of something.

Other
The new era will begin when humanity terraforms and colonizes another planet. That will happen eventually. If some new religion that gives supernatural powers to it's followers pops up beforehand, though, then things will change quicker.