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What's Ultimately Possible in Physics?
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The Nature of Time
Spring 2008
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Previous Contests
What's Ultimately Possible in Physics?
Spring 2009
Special Thanks to Bruce & Astrid McWilliams
read/discuss • winners
The Nature of Time
Spring 2008
read/discuss • winners
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FQXi FORUM
March 19, 2010
CATEGORY:
The Nature of Time Essay Contest
[back]
TOPIC: Things Happen by Jim George Snowdon [refresh]
TOPIC: Things Happen by Jim George Snowdon [refresh]
Essay Abstract
Time does not exist. Time, the past, and future, are illusions that prevent us from seeing reality as it is. We need to understand the nature of the illusion, and perceive reality without the illusion.
Author Bio
The author became interested in the nature of time in Astronomy 101, back in 1,974.
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Time does not exist. Time, the past, and future, are illusions that prevent us from seeing reality as it is. We need to understand the nature of the illusion, and perceive reality without the illusion.
Author Bio
The author became interested in the nature of time in Astronomy 101, back in 1,974.
Download Essay PDF File
post approved
YES Jim, yes, you are right. Time is a mind model only.
yours amrit
attachments: 1_Physics_Without_Time_as_a_Fundamental_Physical_Reality__sorli_2008.pdf, 1_6._Consciousness_As_A_Research_Tool_Into_Space_And_Time.pdf
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yours amrit
attachments: 1_Physics_Without_Time_as_a_Fundamental_Physical_Reality__sorli_2008.pdf, 1_6._Consciousness_As_A_Research_Tool_Into_Space_And_Time.pdf
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This essay is a rambling incoherent assertion, without argument, that time does not exist and that it is better to think of the world without time.
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Jim right understanding of time goes step ba step, i see that in 7 steps
yours amrit
1. Time is what we measure with clocks: with clocks we measure duration and numerical order of motion of massive objects and elementary particles in space.
There is no evidence that motion happen in time; we can only observe motion in space. With clocks we measure duration and numerical order...
view entire post
yours amrit
1. Time is what we measure with clocks: with clocks we measure duration and numerical order of motion of massive objects and elementary particles in space.
There is no evidence that motion happen in time; we can only observe motion in space. With clocks we measure duration and numerical order...
view entire post
post approved
Thank You Amrit!
Johnathon, I would agree with you that my essay is a strong "assertion" that time doesn`t exist. It`s not a new idea that time doesn`t exist, many people believe time is an illusion. I`m not trying to provide a proof in my essay. A kind of proof is available in the fact that we are engaged in an essay contest about the nature of time, in two thousand and nine. This strongly suggests that no one has ever found a shred of evidence that time exists.
I`m not sure I can agree with you about the essay rambling. After all, it`s only one long page, explaining a rather big question in Physics.
As for finding it incoherent. It`s a difficult subject.
I came across this essay contest only in November. I tried to take some advantage of my shortage of time, and wrote the essay in a summarized fashion that trys to tell the story in a clear distilled manner, devoid of unnecessary confusions.
Johnathon, if I might quote from your post, "and that it is better to think of the world without time." I hope I asserted myself more vigorously than that, on this important point! I stated a couple of times that we need to perceive reality for what it is. I asserted that we are blinding ourselves to reality, and so missing out on understanding obvious things, such as time travel. I made reference to removing the time variable from equations where it ought not to be!
I don`t think it`s better to think of the world without time, I think it`s imperative, that we begin to think of the world without time.
It would have been easier to understand the structure of the solar system, after people understood that the world wasn`t flat, rather than before, eh?
The same is true with time! It`s easier to understand Physics, and the world in general, once you know yourself, that time doesn`t exist!
post approved
Johnathon, I would agree with you that my essay is a strong "assertion" that time doesn`t exist. It`s not a new idea that time doesn`t exist, many people believe time is an illusion. I`m not trying to provide a proof in my essay. A kind of proof is available in the fact that we are engaged in an essay contest about the nature of time, in two thousand and nine. This strongly suggests that no one has ever found a shred of evidence that time exists.
I`m not sure I can agree with you about the essay rambling. After all, it`s only one long page, explaining a rather big question in Physics.
As for finding it incoherent. It`s a difficult subject.
I came across this essay contest only in November. I tried to take some advantage of my shortage of time, and wrote the essay in a summarized fashion that trys to tell the story in a clear distilled manner, devoid of unnecessary confusions.
Johnathon, if I might quote from your post, "and that it is better to think of the world without time." I hope I asserted myself more vigorously than that, on this important point! I stated a couple of times that we need to perceive reality for what it is. I asserted that we are blinding ourselves to reality, and so missing out on understanding obvious things, such as time travel. I made reference to removing the time variable from equations where it ought not to be!
I don`t think it`s better to think of the world without time, I think it`s imperative, that we begin to think of the world without time.
It would have been easier to understand the structure of the solar system, after people understood that the world wasn`t flat, rather than before, eh?
The same is true with time! It`s easier to understand Physics, and the world in general, once you know yourself, that time doesn`t exist!
post approved
Dear Jim & Amrit,
As you agree with Carlo to forget Time completely, how about the life being lived by humans without the Money, paper or coins. It was just Barter trade or fighting to snatch things by force. Might is right.
Sometimes i feel timelessness helps make your experiences eternal. But still wewho are born , are destined to die. Thus time is merely a parameter that helps us organize our living during our life. In order to enjoy totally, it is wise to forget time. therwise you are likely to curtail your enjoyment. In some posts here i found some of mentioning ' i must hurry i am late for....' we are always trying to be on the move, and there is no time to stand & stare!
As the essay posting time is over, but postings are still going on, i thought of puting this up on a lighter vein!
post approved
As you agree with Carlo to forget Time completely, how about the life being lived by humans without the Money, paper or coins. It was just Barter trade or fighting to snatch things by force. Might is right.
Sometimes i feel timelessness helps make your experiences eternal. But still wewho are born , are destined to die. Thus time is merely a parameter that helps us organize our living during our life. In order to enjoy totally, it is wise to forget time. therwise you are likely to curtail your enjoyment. In some posts here i found some of mentioning ' i must hurry i am late for....' we are always trying to be on the move, and there is no time to stand & stare!
As the essay posting time is over, but postings are still going on, i thought of puting this up on a lighter vein!
post approved
I find your explanation of "time" very interesting and at the same time true. You have tried to explain a complex physics riddle in a layman's jargon and by giving a philosophical touch to it. I have gone through some of other essays as well, but my comments are - they are either too technical or pure non-understandable explanation.
You have done a good job !
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You have done a good job !
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Dear Ken,
Thanks for the appreciation. If i can lighten the 'burden' of life we all carry in our own ways, what more one may desire out of this short span of life in the context of teh age of the Universe!
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Thanks for the appreciation. If i can lighten the 'burden' of life we all carry in our own ways, what more one may desire out of this short span of life in the context of teh age of the Universe!
post approved
Dear Jim Snowden,
Your post on my essay has been responded there, may be that you see it at leisure.
post approved
Your post on my essay has been responded there, may be that you see it at leisure.
post approved
Consider for a moment a universe consisting of one indivisible particle; then ask ourself some questions: How big is it? One cannot say how big it is because there is nothing to judge it by. Which way is it going? One cannot say because there are no compass points and nothing upon which to hang a 3D coordinate system. Is it possible that it's moving? No, because anyplace it could move to could not be shown to be any different than where it supposedly was before it supposedly moved. Time is an abstract concept for measuring the motion of one thing in terms of another. If the other does not exist, and the particle cannot be shown to be moving, then time cannot have meaning. The earth revolves on its axis 364 1/4 times while it orbits the sun once. Hence the basis for days and years, and we can calibrate pendulums or quartz crystals or cesium atoms to vibrate in some direct relationship to days or years and divide those days and years up into hours or seconds or multiply them to denote decades or millenia or whatever. Time, while not possessing any substance that one can put in a bottle or hold in a hand is nevertheless a useful abstraction. It does not exist in the material sense, but then neither does space, beauty, justice, freedom, nor any other metaphysical concept.
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