Could There be a Preferred Time in the Universe?

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SUMMARY

Lee Smolin's book "Time Reborn," published in April 2023, presents the concept of preferred time within the framework of shape dynamics, which reconciles this idea with the principle of relativity on smaller scales. Smolin argues that preferred time is not absolute but dynamically determined by the distribution of matter and fields in the universe. The discussion raises questions about the mathematical proofs in relativity that could challenge Smolin's assertions regarding the existence of a preferred time perceptible at the universal scale.

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  • Understanding of general relativity and its principles
  • Familiarity with the concept of shape dynamics
  • Knowledge of cosmology and the structure of the universe
  • Basic grasp of the philosophical implications of time in physics
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Physicists, cosmologists, philosophers of science, and anyone interested in the nature of time and its implications in the universe.

kye
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I just read Lee Smolin book Time Reborn. It's published in April this year. Are there arguments or mathematical proof in relativity that what he described couldn't occur (concerning Preferred time that is perceptible at the scale of the universe as a whole, with the validity of the principle of relativity on smaller scales)?

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Smolin: "I describe shape dynamics, which is a new way of reconciling the existence of a preferred time that is perceptible at the scale of the universe as a whole, with the validity of the principle of relativity on smaller scales.

... the preferred time in shape dynamics is not absolute, it is determined dynamically as a result of the distribution of matter and fields in the universe."
 
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