So, sorry for asking a stupid question.What causes Time to Move?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the nature of time and its movement, exploring whether time moves due to an external cause or if it simply progresses on its own. Participants delve into the implications of time in relation to physical systems and the fundamental laws governing them.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether time actually moves or if it is merely a conceptual framework we use to describe change.
  • One participant suggests that the inquiry may relate to why systems evolve over time, prompting a discussion on the interaction between time and matter.
  • Another participant references fundamental laws of physics, such as Newton's second law and Faraday's law, which include time derivatives, indicating that systems evolve in time due to these laws.
  • There is a recognition that science struggles to answer "why" questions regarding the fundamental nature of laws, leading to a philosophical perspective on the inquiry.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the concept of time moving and the nature of its interaction with physical systems. The discussion remains unresolved, with no consensus on the underlying reasons for time's progression.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the limitations of scientific inquiry in addressing "why" questions about fundamental laws, suggesting a dependence on philosophical interpretations.

Stratosphere
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Does time actually get moved by something, or does it jut move because it does?

* I forgot to put a space between time and move
 
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Does time move? I mean, I know we have expressions like "where did the time go?" but I never thought that was literal. What exactly do you mean by time moving?

Are you asking why a system evolves in time?
 
I suppose that I WAS asking why a system evloves around time, I just wasn't sure how to word it. So what makes things evolve around time then? And how does time interact with matter?
 
Stratosphere said:
I suppose that I WAS asking why a system evloves around time, I just wasn't sure how to word it. So what makes things evolve around time then? And how does time interact with matter?
Well, the fundamental laws have d/dt terms in them like Newton's 2nd law:
f = dp/dt

Or Faraday's law
curl(E) = -dB/dt

So systems evolve in time because the fundamental laws of the universe have d/dt in them.

Of course, science is completely ill-suited to answer "why" questions, and as any 4-year-old knows you can always take any "because" answer and ask another "why" question. In this case the logical 4-year-old progression would be "why do the laws have d/dt terms in them". And the answer is "science can never answer why any of the fundamental laws are the way they are" (a fancy way of saying nobody knows why except priests and philosophers).
 

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