5 QUESTIONS ABOUT TIME

By way of summary, I will answer five questions regarding time. 

1- What is time? 

Time is the physical magnitude that increases continuously due to the process of becoming. The two aspects of time are becoming and duration. 

2- Does time exist? 

Of course time exists. If time did not exist: 

1- Becoming—that is, change—would not exist. 

2- Everything would have already happened. 

3- Velocity would not exist, since velocity is equal to distance divided by time; that is: v = d/t. 

3- Is it possible to travel through time? 

No, it is not possible to travel through time, since neither the past nor the future exists. The past consists merely of memories, and the future, of imaginings. Time travel is possible only in the mind and in science fiction movies. 

4- Is time a dimension of space? 

Spacetime was a mathematical construct devised by Albert Einstein to explain gravity. Time is independent of space. 

5- Can we perceive time? 

We perceive time through changes, but not the magnitude of time itself. Duration is sub-perceptible; that is, we perceive only the beginning and the end of intervals.

Elvis Sibilia, Florida, United States 

DOES TIME EXIST

Sme theorists in science and philosophy believe that time is an illusion—that it does not exist. Since the time of Aristotle, it has been held that if no one perceives time, then it does not exist. For time to exist, there must be a consciousness to register it. 

For Immanuel Kant, time is an *a priori* concept. For Albert Einstein, time is simply another dimension of space. He believed that time and space constituted a single four-dimensional structure; in doing so, he stripped both time and space of their independence. Theoretical physicist Julian Barbour believes that time does not exist; he even goes so far as to suggest that motion itself is an illusion. However, the truth is that time *does* exist. 

If time did not exist: 

1- Change (or "becoming") would not exist. 

2- Everything would have already happened. 

3- Velocity would not exist either, since velocity is equal to distance divided by time—that is, v = d/t. 

In the equations of physics, time seems to vanish; it does not appear to flow. Yet, reality differs from what those equations predict.

TYPES OF BECOMING (CHANGES)

 Changes are classified as physical, chemical, biological, meteorological, astronomical, social, digital, and geological. 

- Physical changes include: motion, fragmentation, electricity, magnetism, and energy. 

 - Chemical changes include: combustion, fermentation, and fire. 

- Biological changes include: birth, death, growth, aging, reproduction, and disease. 

- Meteorological changes include: rain, temperature, snow, wind, thunder, and lightning. 

- Astronomical changes include: the rotation and revolution of planets, satellites and stars, as well as gravity. 

- Social changes include: the family, wars, marriage, divorce, social classes, and elections. 

- Digital changes include: hardware, software, and programming. 

- Geological changes include: volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. 

Therefore, when we think about time, we must think about changes (becoming) and duration.

THE TWO ASPECTS OF TIME: THE BECOMING-DURATION DUALITY

 Becoming—or change—and duration—or measurement—are the two aspects of time. This represents a new perspective, even though I have previously discussed the becoming-duration duality. 

Becoming is the continuous and irreversible succession of changes or phenomena. Duration is the interval between two sequential moments, one of which marks the beginning and the other the end. 

In the becoming-memory-duration trilogy, memory is included because it is the medium in which the intervals—or measurements—of time are processed. The becoming-duration duality is an established concept, dating back to September 17, 2012. Time consists of becoming (which is perceptible) plus duration (which is sub-perceptible). Becoming may be either simple or periodic. In clocks, we observe a periodic becoming. From this perspective, duration is an epiphenomenon of becoming, rather than being time itself. The magnitive time change to; objective, becoming (perceptible), duration (sub-perceptible), and measurable. Prior to addressing this topic, I had not regarded becoming as an aspect of time, but rather as its material basis.

PRINCIPLES OF PHILOCHRONY

A scientific principle is a fundamental explanation, based on observations and experiments, that describes how a natural phenomenon functions. The principles of Philochrony are three: 1. Time is magnitive; 2. The Trilogy of Time; and 3. Time is an epiphenomenon of becoming. I have already explained principles 1 and 2 at length elsewhere. Here, it is appropriate to explain the third principle. 

Becoming is the continuous and sequential occurrence of changes and phenomena. An epiphenomenon is a phenomenon, accessory, or symptom that accompanies another primary phenomenon, without influencing it or causing it. Time is the physical magnitude that continuously increases in value due to becoming, and it is used to measure the duration of things. In a clock, we observe the movement of the hands (becoming) and we process the intervals (time) in our memory. Time, as an epiphenomenon, has no effect whatsoever on reality—that is, on things, objects, or phenomena. Aging, material deterioration, and the replacement of the old by the new are products of becoming.

Elvis Sibilia, Florida, United States 

THE TIME TRILOGY EXPLAINED

In the previous topic we talked about dualisms and trilogies. We said that the becoming-memory-duration (B-M-D) is time. But it is not that time needs the consciousness of the subject to exist but that time is made up of a past, a present and a future. The past along with all units and measures of time are recorded in memory. If we had no memory we would live in an eternal present. We would not know the changes.

Aristotle was referring to memory when he said that time needed consciousness to exist. He knew the importance of consciousness in processing time, but his mistake was to think that time does not exist without an observer.

Magnitive time is objective, subperceptible (memory) and measurable.

We know that phenomena have a duration because this is recorded in memory.

Elvis Sibilia, Florida, United States 

DUALISMS AND TRILOGIES

 DUALISMS AND TRILOGIES

The becoming-memory-duration (B-M-D) trilogy emerges from the becoming-duration duality, augmented by memory as an intermediary element situated between becoming and duration.

Becoming is the continuous and sequential occurrence of changes or phenomena. Duration is the interval between a beginning and an end within this becoming—the span between the "before" and the "after."

Memory is the brain's capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information, experiences, and feelings from the past. Through memory, we arrange phenomena into a sequence. Were we devoid of memory, we would exist in an eternal present.

All units and measures of time are recorded within memory, thereby serving as a link between becoming and duration.

Other dualisms include: light (wave-particle), the human being (body-soul or mind), and—in the field of computing—hardware and software. Other trilogies include: the atom (proton-neutron-electron); in religion, God (Father-Son-Holy Spirit); the spatial system (Sun-planet-satellites); the mind (conscious-subconscious-unconscious); and the family (father-mother-children).

Elvis Sibilia, Florida, United States