Reflecting of reflection in relation to time

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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the nature of time through analogies involving reflections, particularly focusing on the perception of time and motion as represented by reflections in a mirrored sphere. The scope includes philosophical considerations and speculative reasoning about time and perception.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant speculates about the perception of time using the analogy of reflections in a mirrored sphere, questioning what an eye at the center would see.
  • Another participant draws a parallel to the rotating mirror experiment, suggesting that reflections can lead to measurable effects related to light, despite the static nature of the mirrored sphere scenario.
  • A different participant argues that the original scenario is static and does not pertain to time, prompting a discussion about the nature of time as a state versus motion.
  • One participant proposes that time may be perceived differently depending on the presence of motion, suggesting that without motion, the concept of time does not exist.
  • Another participant agrees with the notion of static time and introduces the idea of perception acting as a mirror that reflects only certain events and substances, seeking further feedback on the original question regarding reflections in a mirrored sphere.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether the scenario of reflections in a mirrored sphere relates to the concept of time. Some see it as a static situation, while others propose a more complex relationship involving perception and motion. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing views.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge limitations in their analogies and the philosophical nature of the discussion, which may not align with traditional physical interpretations of time and motion.

Zegnarfol
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I'm speculating about the nature of time, or at least a perception of it, and I'm thinking of an analogy to represent some of these speculations.

I thought about how images are reflected to infinity when placed between two mirrors, but I would like to specifically know what the reflection of an eye placed in the centre of a perfectly mirrored sphere would see?
 
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This is not altogether different from the rotating mirror experiment to measure the speed of light. In parallel mirrors, a light beam in motion will suffer tiny displacements in multiply reflected images. The effect is limited by reflectivity losses, but measurable.
 
The situation given here is completely static and has nothing to do with time.
 
Well, the situation my analogy of time is meant to describe may also be static, and that time as motion/direction may indeed (under certain circumstances) be described instead as time as a state not in motion (but perhaps of space as an expanse).

There is a philosophic content to my analogy as well, so perhaps my request is misplaced in this section. However, upon knowing the answer to my question, I will complicate it to achieve another step in the thinking process toward the final analogy. Thanks so far. G
 
Perhaps you should think about motion, Zegnarfol. Consider a space containing a single featureless object. There is no motion, and no concept of no time. Now consider a space containing two adjacent objects. There is still no motion, and still no concept of time. But now start the objects moving and there is a concept of time. But note it is a concept, a perception. What is actually out there is the space and the objects with their changing locations.
 
Yes, farsight, that is along the lines I'm progressing with. Thank you. As I'm looking at the static aspect of time, I'm also tying in the idea of stasis of location as a complimentary facet of my analogy that implies primacy of changing perception, in the sense that, if all substance were omnipresent and all circumstances on a closed timeline were encapsulated in a frozen moment (the mirrored sphere), perception acts as another kind of mirror reflecting only those events and substances inherent in the reflecting properties of the perceptive mirror.

However, I still really require some feedback on my original question of what reflection is seen within a mirrored sphere? Does anyone have any idea? After I have an idea of that, I can present the question in a more developed form. Cheers.
 

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