Exploring Our Experience of TIME | Grandfather's Surgery Story

In summary, some odd things happened after my grandfather's surgery. He could easily reply to questions but the next day (10/12 hrs. after the surgery) he was brought back to the room and now he was totally conscious. His reply was strange; 'it was just like a sleep, & I woke up at 4am' while my grandma had the conversation hours before 4am. His long-term-memory wasn't probably recording the events but the short term memory was working properly so he could reply. The problem or mistake I made was wondering what the problem might be. Thanks for your input.
  • #1
A warm hello to everyone :)

Some days ago my grandfather had a spinal surgery, I was in the hospital on that day with my grandmother. About 3/4 hours after the surgery he was semiconscious & my grandmother went to visit him, they HAD a conversation for some minutes such that my grandfather could could easily reply...
The next day (10/12 hrs. after the surgery) my grandfather was brought back to the room & now he was totally conscious, I asked how long this whole operation seemed & his reply was really strange; 'it was just like a sleep, & I woke up at 4am' while my grandma had the conversation hours before 4am & that he didn't remember anything about my grandma's visit...

When I asked my dad (chest specialist) he said grandpa's long-term-memory wasn't probably recording the events but the short term memory was working properly so he could reply.

I'm neither an expert in medicine nor philosophy, but doesn't this show that our experience of time is dependent to the rate of events recorded on our long term memory?

For example; the days we are active the time passes so quickly, but when we have nothing to do & bored time doesn't even seems to move... When we compare these two cases; for the active days the records are a lot more than boring days.

As a result: the greater the rate of events recorded in long-term-memory at a specific date, the faster time moves which means less experience of time.

This means there is an indirect proportion between 'our experience of time' & 'the rate of events recorded in the longterm memory'.

this results to a reciprocal graph, passing through the origin...

This is really weired since it shows we can never experience true time when true events are recorded & if we take true events as what we see than its a false time that we experience since it'll be on the negative axes... right?

Now I know that there is a huge problem on this but what's the problem or in a better sense the mistake of mine?

thank you :)
 
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  • #2
Without brains being capable of recording memories, we wouldn't be capable of experience time at all. To me it seems that the flow of time is merely an illusion caused by memories.

The way you use term "experience time" doesn't seem obvious. What do you mean by "less experience of time"? You seem to somehow connect this with the real numbers. Some explanation on this connection could be helpful. The speed of time is also quite nontrivial concept.
 
  • #3
jostpuur said:
Without brains being capable of recording memories, we wouldn't be capable of experience time at all. To me it seems that the flow of time is merely an illusion caused by memories.

The way you use term "experience time" doesn't seem obvious. What do you mean by "less experience of time"? You seem to somehow connect this with the real numbers. Some explanation on this connection could be helpful. The speed of time is also quite nontrivial concept.

I see, what I meant by less experience of time, in simple terms can be everything passes. for example you suddenly look at your watch and say"oh its midnight" while you expected 9pm...

What I meant by the speed of time was actually the experience of time as given above...

Thanks for contributing.
I'll glad to know your further comments :)
 

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