I have thought about the theory of time for many years now, as I enjoy finding out things that seem to be labeled with a big question mark. I think of time, not as a physical or truthful "thing", but as a concept, an idea in which we use it to reference our lives off of.
Before I read this article, my perception on time was somewhat vivid, as most people are probably in the same boat. The idea of time is just a very difficult concept for people to wrap their heads around. The image above suggests that time is an infinite sequence, it cannot stop, it only moves forward, but what exactly is it?
Since the debate of time is so broad, my understanding of time was summarized by McTaggart's series. As I read through the article, something from each point resembled my understanding of time.
What does the "unreality of time" really mean?
McTaggart lists many different ideas (series) of time that try and offer many explanations or routes that this concept could follow.
The "unreality of time" cannot really explained, thus the reason why McTaggart uses this term throughout. He argues that time is unreal since it not quantifiable and our descriptions of time are contradictory, circular, and insufficient.
The reoccurring theme throughout was the fact that it is hard to differentiate the past, present and future based off of the current depiction of time. It is impossible to know if all things actually exist. For instance, dinosaur existence, although proved by scientists, there is still a degree of uncertainty since those events occurred in the past, and truthfully we do not have a complete recollection.
There is a common phrase "time does not wait for you". At first, many people do not really break down or care to understand its value. But, it is the truth, time keeps moving, but does it actually? We base time off a 12 hour clock, some areas use a 24 hour clock. These variations are only a simulation; a reference for how we live our lives; a mere representation to keep a schedule for people. Although we do technically quantify time, we do not actually know how to do so.
The Mayan calendar ended December 21st, 2012. I remember this day, we all thought the world was going to end. It did not...clearly.
Time is indeed an unreality, we cannot correctly distinguish, identify, or gain adequate knowledge about it. So, I was not surprised by McTaggart's arguments, as honestly I have done similar thinking about these arguments, I have even conducted extensive web searches, and most of this information are common ideologies among people who deeply thought about the concept of time, and its unrealistic principles.
Hey Andrew. I like the points you brought up in your post. I also think that your personal perception of time is effected by who you are as well as the environment surrounding you. For example, I think that someone who's older in age probably perceives time a lot differently than a five year old would. Or someone who lives out west, or in a very rural area has different perceptions of time than someone who lives in a coastal city, or even in the suburbs.
ReplyDelete