Elements of the past are incorporated into the present. There are no permanent enduring “objects” there are only repetitive patterns of events “processes”. A primitive form of memory is thus built into the “universe”. “The past is never dead, in fact it is not even the past”-William Faulkner1). In order to be aware of the passage of time one requires stability of/access to past events in the form of a record/memory. If we had no memory of the previous moments how would we ever know there was a "then" to this "now", a "cause" to this "effect". — Benj96
Two different issues really. One relates to the influence of gravity or acceleration on the rate of a process (cesium emission for an atomic clock, crystal oscillation, etc.). The rate of all physical, chemical and biologic processes are influenced by gravity and acceleration and since this is what we use to measure “time” the rate time passes changes under these conditions. (time dilatation).2). The universe shows lack of simultaneity. Due to gravity all parts of the universe experience the passage of time differently therefore how is there a unanimous "now". Even a hiker at the base of a mountain experiences slower time passage than one at the top even if infinitesimally small. Your now is different to mine. When I react instantly to something you see it occur slightly afterward at a different point in "time" due to the fact we occupy different space. — Benj96
I too am a”presentist”, believing only the present to “truly exist” but you may get a lot of responses from people with a different view of past, present and future. I am also a “process philosophy” person as a basic ontology (metaphysics). The world is constantly becoming (creative advance) and so sequential events necessitating “memory” of the past and “anticipation” of future possibilities requires “change, becoming” but not time as some separate metaphysical entity.3). We all live in the present. The past has never been reached nor has the future. You are always living now. You were born now and you are reading this now and you will die now. The only dividing factor is the sequence of change that is continuously occurring now. Where is time if it's always this case? — Benj96
Since there is no absolute “time” as you say its measurement is arbitrary. Different events have different durations. Change is what we perceive not “time”.4). When does an event end? Units of time are arbitrary. The second, hour month etc are man made repeatable units based off natural ones from astronomy and ecological cycles. It seems the only way to measure time is to particularize it as a frequency of a defined length. Otherwise it simply flows with events just blending into one another. One seamless transitional state of change. — Benj96
Entropy “the arrow of time”. Cats do not become kittens. Time in our experience is not “reversible”. Cosmology indicates a direction to the universe (the big bang, formation of stars, planets, increasing complexity, life, etc.). I don’t think our consciousness creates these changes in the universe. Nature is full of self-organizing, self-sustaining systems of which we are one. There is creative advance at least in some small corners of the universe and I think explaining that is worth exploring (could even inspire some religious inclinations).5). Reversibility. Almost all mechanism of physics are reversible and work equally well backwards as forwards. They are directionless and do not require an arrow of time. Entropy increases the disorder of energy giving us a seemingly obvious direction to time. However the jury is out on whether entropy has an opposite. Life is technically a decrease in entropy as it is the organization of a system so perhaps consciousness plays a role in countering entropy? Gravity orders millions of chaotic mass particles into a singular one and then perhaps a black hole which further gathers energy in its light form too decreasing entropy. — Benj96
Time is I would say an abstraction from change. Something we use to record sequences of events. Time itself does not exist. Change (becoming) is the fundamental nature of reality. There is no fixed absolute independent separate entity “time”.I'm skeptical to believe time actually exists in the universe. I believe it is a necessary concept to explain all phenomenon relative to one another across a medium which is objective and constant (both in the sense of physics but also conscious experience of the past present and future) but its convenience/utility doesn't mean it actually physical exists. — Benj96
If we had no memory of the previous moments how would we ever know there was a "then" to this "now", a "cause" to this "effect". — Benj96
Even a hiker at the base of a mountain experiences slower time passage than one at the top even if infitisimally small. Your now is different to mine. When I react instantly to something you see it occur slightly afterward at a different point in "time" due to the fact we occupy different space. — Benj96
You were born now and you are reading this now and you will die now. — Benj96
I'm skeptical to believe time actually exists in the universe. — Benj96
What then is you're take on the proposition that conscious beings exist in the universe? If we exist in the universe and our so being requires that we are aware of time, then wouldn't time necessarily also exist in the universe? — javra
Cats do not become kittens. — prothero
5). Reversability. Almost all mechanism of physics are reversible and work equally well backwards as forwards. — Benj96
Time directionality is not necessary for genes to make a cat. Just probability of all being lumped together as one particular individual. — Benj96
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