How Does Philosophy Define the Concept of Time?

[orgmark]

Time is a dimension of matter as opposed to a
changing or flowing entity. Nothing can exist
outside of the present in real terms, which
encompasses the immediate sum of existence and
is always now. As time does not flow or change,
however, concepts such as past and future
events do not exist. In abstract logic only,
the past has had an effect on the present which
in turn creates future probabilities. What the
observer sees as the flow of time is really
only a change in position relative to some
other change in position.

As a dimension, however, the present by
definition can be represented as a range of
possible values. The apparent contradiction of
an existence with no past or future is the fact
that an object moving near the speed of light
ages at a slower rate when compared to a
stationary object. Another rationalization of
this effect is that the time dimensional value
of each object can be influenced by their
respective velocities. Take an example of two
stationary objects in close proximity. At this
point, each may have an equivalent time
dimensional value equal to some arbitrary number.
Apply the argument above and the faster object
will begin to age at a slower rate. As the
present has no single value, however, what is
occurring is not time travel as described above
but rather the divergence of each object’s time
dimensional value. As the two objects return
to close proximity, each again appears to
an observer to be in the present although
with noticeable differences, proof of a range
of possible time dimensional values. This
concept is analogous to altering the length of a
steel rod by changing its temperature.

The connectivity of matter is revealed in this
dimensional view of time. There is little
difference between establishing a standard of
length which can be applied anywhere in the
universe and an object's time dimensional
value. In other words, events occurring at
separate locations are inexorably linked by the
immediate present, just as the length of two
rods may be certainly equivalent. An explanation
of why matter can neither exceed the speed of
light nor cease all movement could be this aspect
of matter.

Accelerating an object past the speed of light,
however, may be no different than heating the
steel rod past its melting point. Time travel
may in fact be no more than a change in state
much like this example.

 

[jimmie]

waaaaaay too much text.

"time was"

"Space Is"

 

[Rade]

waaaaaay too much text."time was""Space Is"

? Are not space-time entangled in such a way that space may be represented as related to time in three constrained views ?:
1. space is - time is now (think time independent wave function)
2. space was - time was
3. space will be - time will be

 

[Smurf]

... what?

no, really... what?

 

[jimmie]

Space always IS. Time always was.

Time was when i was not AWARE of space, and i spent "time" thinking about...anything.

A true individual is AWARE that they are a soul inside of one physical body, both held together with their spirit, and that one complete unified unit, being ALWAYS AWARE of that combination, is able recognize the difference between thought and perception, and is able to perceive that they are simply riding the planet like a surfer rides a wave. That individual knows it was not possible to be mentally attached to any particular thing, and is enlightened.

His priority is to not think about any particular thing, much less discuss it, for the very process of thinking had previously prevented him from conquering time/thought so as to BE in space. He disdains thought, although attaining rightperception was possible only because of the shear high volume of thought invested into the concept of 'rightperception' and space/time.

Thought always was and always shall be 2D; Rightperception is ONLY 3D, in the "first-person".

Until an individual realizes the difference between thought/2d, and perception/3d, that individual will not be able to "see" anything as it truly is, because that individual has not realized what they truly are.

After realizing what they truly are, that individual will always be AWARE of their physical presence on the planet and the proportion of their physical body is to all other physical things in space. That individual is truly integrated with all things and is beyond "time/thought".

Of course, to attain rightperception, i had to let go of every thought i ever thought, including what i 'thought' rightperception was/is.

Anyway, just a thought.

"I" hope that helps.

 

[moving finger]

A true individual is AWARE that they are a soul inside of one physical body

Are you sure that you are aware that you are a soul, or do you just think that you are aware?
And how would you tell the difference?

may your God go with you

MF

 

[jimmie]

Are you sure that you are aware that you are a soul, or do you just think that you are aware? And how would you tell the difference?

I KNOW that I am a soul and physical body and a spirit, and I KNOW the difference between 'thinking' I know and knowing I know because I have objective, rightperception.

 

[an11-Dexperience]

I find that when trying to communicate the answer to, "what is Time?" The answer has to be as subtle and as simple as possible, to be Truth.
all answers reduced to simplest terms result in the Realization that time is a consequence of having spatial dimensions. This anwer is very subtle, and the realizations that result from pondering it are significant. :!)

 

[Human Being]

A Layman's Try

How about this definition... (edit: Hey Dexperience, it sounds like we agree?)

Time: the oscillation of existence itself between the forms matter and energy.

Further, time slows down as the oscillation becomes "imbalanced" due to local
accumulated velocity, mass, or charge. Time couldn't be "sped up" unless the
"dimension" in which existence itself exists within became "superconductive"...


Does any of that sound or does it just sound ?

 

[jhe1984]

"Nothing can exist outside of the present in real terms..."

I agree that this statement is true in a sense, but isn't this statement a little hazy since it's contingent on several different definitions (which are themselves contentious), namely "exist" "present" and "real"?

If you believe the 2nd law of thermodynamics (I think that's the one) that speaks on the conservation of energy, then how is this idea unambiguously true?

An argument could be made that there is only many variations on a small number (even one) of truths/forces/whathaveyou and if this were to be the case, the idea of a present - and time in general - is in some sense thrown on its head. The reason for this is that, if it is possible to describe many various features in several terms, then that in some way reduces those figures to one of a vast number of combinations and chance events (which may themselves be able to be understood in a reductionist view of existence), but only do not differ in the sense that one is composed via distinct truths from another that are merely mixed in different ratios.

If that were to be the case, then "time" itself would simply be an observed - whatever that means - transition from one phase to another.

The whole idea stumbles on that "if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it does it make a sound" problem. How can time be considered outside of a relativistic sense? If it can't, then the above quote is untrue, as no "real" can exist (in any way that we understand real).

It would be as if you had a computer that had a certain matrix set of numbers and it computed them in every possible way and combination. It then printed it out in on several sheets of paper in the exact way it was constructed. One might thus look at the paper and say that each sheet was a layer of time.

But although the numbers might be logged in a particular pattern, the ordering of that pattern has no bearing on the combination of a certain fixed set of numbers - just like a matrix doesn't really have a beginning and an end, but simply a list of all the possible probabilities.

Of course, that argument might only fly if the second law of thermodynamics is to be believed. Personally, I think that all we are is a bubble on top of a giant boiling pot that holds the stew of the past and also a lot of lobsters - who feed on the stew of the past, naturally. The entire cauldron is called Hell: the L's in Hell stand for Lobsters (there are 2 L's because the lobsters are numerous) and the H is for humans - the E is a different story though. The E is the mark of the beast (as it has 4 lines and 2 spaces which adds up to six, plus the two more sixes from somewhere I guess - maybe Queens).

 

[Critical_Pedagogy]

Time is a dimension of matter as opposed to a
changing or flowing entity. Nothing can exist
outside of the present in real terms, which
encompasses the immediate sum of existence and
is always now. As time does not flow or change,
however, concepts such as past and future
events do not exist. In abstract logic only,
the past has had an effect on the present which
in turn creates future probabilities. What the
observer sees as the flow of time is really
only a change in position relative to some
other change in position.
As a dimension, however, the present by
definition can be represented as a range of
possible values. The apparent contradiction of
an existence with no past or future is the fact
that an object moving near the speed of light
ages at a slower rate when compared to a
stationary object. Another rationalization of
this effect is that the time dimensional value
of each object can be influenced by their
respective velocities. Take an example of two
stationary objects in close proximity. At this
point, each may have an equivalent time
dimensional value equal to some arbitrary number.
Apply the argument above and the faster object
will begin to age at a slower rate. As the
present has no single value, however, what is
occurring is not time travel as described above
but rather the divergence of each object’s time
dimensional value. As the two objects return
to close proximity, each again appears to
an observer to be in the present although
with noticeable differences, proof of a range
of possible time dimensional values. This
concept is analogous to altering the length of a
steel rod by changing its temperature.
The connectivity of matter is revealed in this
dimensional view of time. There is little
difference between establishing a standard of
length which can be applied anywhere in the
universe and an object's time dimensional
value. In other words, events occurring at
separate locations are inexorably linked by the
immediate present, just as the length of two
rods may be certainly equivalent. An explanation
of why matter can neither exceed the speed of
light nor cease all movement could be this aspect
of matter.
Accelerating an object past the speed of light,
however, may be no different than heating the
steel rod past its melting point. Time travel
may in fact be no more than a change in state
much like this example.

Well, that's like saying humans can fly if they just flap their arms faster. It makes sense, but how are you going to get the energy to do it?

 

[Orefa]

"waaaaaay too much text."

++

I thought time was simply change (defined as the fact that things are not constant), no more and no less. No change happens without time. No time passes unless something changes. The concepts are equivalent.