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What those concepts really mean in terms of time, after all? We choose an arbitrary "point in time" and define if an "event" happened "before" or after" that point?
When we talk about space, "before" and "after" are always relative, and depends on the point of view. Is the orbit of planet Mars "before" or "after" the orbit of planet Earth? It depends if you are viewing it from the orbit of Venus or from the orbit of Jupiter...
But in terms of time, "before" and "after" have this sense of absolute, because of entropy and causal relations. Is that really the case? If the Big Bang theory is true, what happened "before" the Big Bang?
What those concepts really mean in terms of time, after all? We choose an arbitrary "point in time" and define if an "event" happened "before" or after" that point?
When we talk about space, "before" and "after" are always relative, and depends on the point of view. Is the orbit of planet Mars "before" or "after" the orbit of planet Earth? It depends if you are viewing it from the orbit of Venus or from the orbit of Jupiter...
But in terms of time, "before" and "after" have this sense of absolute, because of entropy and causal relations. Is that really the case? If the Big Bang theory is true, what happened "before" the Big Bang?
Our concept of time is an artifice of the "formation time" of our "instantaneous awareness." It is not instantaneous. It forms in "quantum time" (the actual time of existence). Our consciousness forms at the speed of light (accounting for the effects of the medium) within the brain (manifesting as resonant synaptic firings across the entire brain). This is why the speed of light is constant in all our measurements in space and time taken with our "instantaneous awareness." This is revealed in the topological equations of relativity by Minkowski.
The topological invariance of Minkowski's "world interval" produces the relativity notion that the length of a time interval (even between two causally related events) can depend on the choice of the system of reference, even though it cannot become zero in any system and a fortiori cannot become negative (the event cannot precede its cause). This caused Einstein to posit the constancy of light as an attribute of Reality. IMO, the result has been misguided speculation about discordant time series, etc.
Minkowski's formulation of the constancy of the world interval (a reassuring construct) illustrates the dependent nature of time and space, as we use them, on the speed of light:
I = Squareroot{S^2 – C^2 (T2 - T1) ^2 }
where S = spatial distance; T2 - T1 = time interval; and C = speed of light. In other words, the spatial separation of events is altered by a continuum of C^2 for any "measured" temporal separation.
To grasp the philosophical significance of this formula, it is necessary to reorient your thinking from our "inside-out" perspective to an "outside-in" perspective. The expression actually reflects relativistic events arbitrarily "measured" within the illusion that comprises our internal view of reality. If a difference between two internally measured events (T2 - T1) in a system has an effect on a third event (S) by a specified constant (C), that implies that the measurements were made using that constant as the ultimate base of reference! That is why it is constant!
Our consciousness forms at the speed of light (accounting for the effects of the medium) within the brain (manifesting as resonant synaptic firings across the entire brain).
Can we be sure of that, considering that neurons work based on ionic conductivity?
Can we be sure of that, considering that neurons work based on ionic conductivity?
The measurement issues with quanta eliminate any certainty. The measurable ionic conductivity in ambient temperature would suggest a problem for the "speed of light" within the brain. But it is our unmeasurable "composite consciousness" that is formed at the "speed of light" by the measurable synaptic firings through the amplification of resonance across the entire brain. Our consciousness is NOT the individual synaptic firings. It is the "entity" formed by them - our Self, IMO.
What those concepts really mean in terms of time, after all? We choose an arbitrary "point in time" and define if an "event" happened "before" or after" that point?
When we talk about space, "before" and "after" are always relative, and depends on the point of view. Is the orbit of planet Mars "before" or "after" the orbit of planet Earth? It depends if you are viewing it from the orbit of Venus or from the orbit of Jupiter...
But in terms of time, "before" and "after" have this sense of absolute, because of entropy and causal relations. Is that really the case? If the Big Bang theory is true, what happened "before" the Big Bang?
I had a course in cultural anthropology in grad school and we studied "time" cross-culturally. Different groups have different beliefs and concepts of time. There is or was an African tribe who does not perceive time in a linear fashion. It's hard for a Westerner to grasp (at least it was for me).
There are other beliefs that "everything is happening at once," just on different frequencies.
I think the differnce is, that we can control movement through space but we cannot control our movement through time. Nobody has a time machine, the way you can hop in a car and change your position in space.
I had a course in cultural anthropology in grad school and we studied "time" cross-culturally. Different groups have different beliefs and concepts of time. There is or was an African tribe who does not perceive time in a linear fashion.
The idea of a "circular time" makes all the before and after stuff a total mess...
The idea of a "circular time" makes all the before and after stuff a total mess...
Very True. It caused significant issues for an American firm that tried to use a Brazilian firm as a supplier. The Brazilian firm had no sense of urgency. Its date and time commitments weren't reliable.
Very True. It caused significant issues for an American firm that tried to use a Brazilian firm as a supplier. The Brazilian firm had no sense of urgency. Its date and time commitments weren't reliable.
I'm trying to get a better understanding of Henri Bergson's concept of time and his theory of "Duree." His before and after is more flexible. The book I'm re-reading is titled Grove an Aesthetic of Measured Time. So far what I am trying to wrap my head around is that there are two "times." For instance there are situations when time passes slowly for the individual.
Guiles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, and Zuckerlandl all wrestle with the theory of time in discussion's about music and Spatialized time and Temporal time.
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