Is Time an Illusion Created by Consciousness?

[out of whack]

All right, very good. [...]
Very good [...]
Yes, definitely. [...]
Yes. [...]
Yes, I think you're hitting the issue on the nose.

I think you said a couple of other things too but these are the parts I remember...

Kidding aside, we are out of the gates with at least a few starting points on which we agree. That's good. Please don't think I am ignoring the many other points you have mentioned in your last post. But I cannot address them until we agree on a few more elementary concepts, otherwise we will start to miscommunicate again. I will try to build on our initial agreements in small manageable steps and cover one topic at a time.

The next small step in my presentation is to agree (or disagree) that time requires more than a single state of reality (tsheinj).

If we made the assumption that there is only a single state of reality then it would make no difference if some time passed or if no time passed. What is real would remain unchanged either way, the single state of reality would be unaffected. In terms of our definition of "state", only one observation could apply so it would not matter to it if time passed or not. In terms of other possible definitions of "state" the same reasoning would certainly apply as well. Since time is irrelevant to anything under the premise of a single state then it does not matter, it does not exist.

Do you agree or disagree that time requires the existence of more than a single state of reality?

 

[baywax]

Aren't you describing timekeeping instead of time?

Timekeeping is the root of time as in: as soon as we put sand in an hourglass and measure the exit of that sand against the Earth's movement against the stationary sun we have invented "time".

By your new definition time is still a practice and method but since a "second" is a unit of time then how does it fit?

A second can only be derived by comparison to another second or minute or degree. You can't discern time without the comparison of one change against the other. This practice and method is how we arrived at the concept of time.

Why is one (1) change insufficient to recognize time? Isn't the concept of simultaneity moot given relative time?

In order to perceive one change there must be a constant or slower or faster change with which to compare that "one change". This too is a practice and method that confirms the concept of time... yet is rooted in the natural phenomenon of change.

Put mildly, without change there would be no time. Show me how the concept of time can exist in a static, motionless universe. Better yet, show me how the concept of time can exist in a universe where all things change at the same rate, regardless of scale.

 

[baywax]

Do you agree or disagree that time requires the existence of more than a single state of reality?

Since reality is relative to the observer (and the position of that observer) there is no shortage of realities. There does, however, have to be more than a single rate of change taking place for time (change) to be measurable. Moreover, rate of change may also be relative only to the observer in which case; time, change, distance etc... could all be considered an illusion. And often are.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Do you agree or disagree that time requires the existence of more than a single state of reality?

(I actually said a "yes" to this before with a suspension-of-disbelief-qualification but since you're asking it again you're going to get the full works!)

Given the time implications of GR I think it may be an inaccurate approximation to talk about discrete states of the entire universe. For example, the way the passage of time occurs near the surface of or within black holes may result in a single state of the black hole having approximately the same time-coordinates as multiple states of other objects in the universe.

But laying that part of science aside I'll at least grant you that parts of reality, particular objects, have characteristics that vary along many different axes and time is one of them. So you'll have to judge if this is an equivalent statement, but the most I'll grant is that particular objects have characteristics that vary with time, just not necessarily in complete concert with the entirety of the object. For example, again given GR, it seems not entirely kosher to regard the surface of the Earth as passing through all the same moments as its core, or at least that the entirety of the Earth is passing through time in such a way that one time coordinate really corresponds to one discrete state of the Earth.

(Aside from being an objection against discrete states, this brings up problems with the uniqueness of states... even if you said that the surface of the Earth has one state and its core has its own state, the fact that multiple states of the surface are blurring into each state of the core means that the identity of a core state has to do not only with its own configuration but with which surface states are blurring into it, which ends up being a time-like relationship outside of the tiking of the clocks)

(Another tack you might take could be to talk about human experience instead of reality, because I'm bound to bring into any discussion of reality what I know of science's observations.)

-

Also, from that previous discussion - did we establish at this point that tsheinj, or at least tsheinj and clocks if clocks have special properties, include both an order upon states as well as the set of multiple states?

 

[out of whack]

Timekeeping is the root of time as in: as soon as we put sand in an hourglass and measure the exit of that sand against the Earth's movement against the stationary sun we have invented "time".

You are saying that time does not exist unless we measure change, time is a measurement of change, right? I've come across this interpretation in the past.

A second can only be derived by comparison to another second or minute or degree. You can't discern time without the comparison of one change against the other. This practice and method is how we arrived at the concept of time.

Except for your use of the word change (where I would have used the word state) I think I follow what you are saying. You must compare one state against another state to notice that a change has happened and that time has therefore passed, except that you cannot measure anything yet because you only have one manifestation of change. If you can identify various manifestations of change then you can measure it by comparing one instance that you pick as standard against another change that you want to measure. This makes your definition of time a measurement of how changes happen relative to each other, if I read you right.

Put mildly, without change there would be no time. Show me how the concept of time can exist in a static, motionless universe.

We are in complete agreement on this point. Time implies change, it has no meaning without it.

Since reality is relative to the observer (and the position of that observer) there is no shortage of realities.

Just a side note on this. My own use of the word "reality" means the collection of all realities in the way you interpret it. Your own reality matters to you directly, but you are part of my reality which affects me, therefore your reality is part of mine by transitivity. In other words, your reality matters to me because it affects me (through you). Since it matters, it's real to me too. Something must be completely detached from me and from anything or anyone who affects me either directly or indirectly before I can claim that it isn't real. It if matters, it's real. If it's not real, it doesn't matter. If it doesn't matter, I'm not even talking about it...

Moreover, rate of change may also be relative only to the observer in which case; time, change, distance etc... could all be considered an illusion.

...or simply be considered relative, which seems to work well.

Overall we're not far apart in our interpretation. I say that a time unit is a unit of change while you say that a time unit is a unit of the measurement of change.

 

[out of whack]

I actually said a "yes" to this before

Good to get confirmation. We agree that time requires tsheinj.

Given the time implications of GR I think it may be an inaccurate approximation to talk about discrete states of the entire universe.

Maybe. It could be that the granularity of tsheinj is finer than detectable, or it could be that there are truly infinite states. I have not committed to either discrete or atomic states because I think either interpretation can be made to work. Scientific theories are commonly approximations waiting for more accurate theories.

For example, the way the passage of time occurs near the surface of or within black holes may result in a single state of the black hole having approximately the same time-coordinates as multiple states of other objects in the universe.

We make two observations that each include our lab and the black hole. We may as well include some flying saucer traveling at half c. The differences between both observed states that include these three locations will be different in degree, clocks have not ticked as much as in our lab. We can either say that time has slowed down over there or that state differences are less over there.

So you'll have to judge if this is an equivalent statement, but the most I'll grant is that particular objects have characteristics that vary with time, just not necessarily in complete concert with the entirety of the object. For example, again given GR, it seems not entirely kosher to regard the surface of the Earth as passing through all the same moments as its core, or at least that the entirety of the Earth is passing through time in such a way that one time coordinate really corresponds to one discrete state of the Earth.

No objection. My observation of both ends of some object will be different from your observation of both ends of the same object. States are relative to the observer, therefore so are manifestations of tsheinj.

(Another tack you might take could be to talk about human experience instead of reality, because I'm bound to bring into any discussion of reality what I know of science's observations.)

I touched on this above in my reply to baywax. My reality includes your reality and baywax's reality (because your realities affect my own) even though my observations may be different from yours. I'm just giving my interpretation of the word, by the way, not opening up a new debate on definitions (I hope).

Also, from that previous discussion - did we establish at this point that tsheinj, or at least tsheinj and clocks if clocks have special properties, include both an order upon states as well as the set of multiple states?

Not yet. I can at least agree right now that clocks are subject to the same rules as everything else, be it deterministic or non-deterministic. But their specific discussion is best held until after another small step I need to take on a more basic matter.

Before I proceed with this next small step I should give you a chance to respond to this post in case something else needs to be clarified first.

 

[baywax]

You are saying that time does not exist unless we measure change, time is a measurement of change, right? I've come across this interpretation in the past.



Except for your use of the word change (where I would have used the word state) I think I follow what you are saying. You must compare one state against another state to notice that a change has happened and that time has therefore passed, except that you cannot measure anything yet because you only have one manifestation of change. If you can identify various manifestations of change then you can measure it by comparing one instance that you pick as standard against another change that you want to measure. This makes your definition of time a measurement of how changes happen relative to each other, if I read you right.



We are in complete agreement on this point. Time implies change, it has no meaning without it.



Just a side note on this. My own use of the word "reality" means the collection of all realities in the way you interpret it. Your own reality matters to you directly, but you are part of my reality which affects me, therefore your reality is part of mine by transitivity. In other words, your reality matters to me because it affects me (through you). Since it matters, it's real to me too. Something must be completely detached from me and from anything or anyone who affects me either directly or indirectly before I can claim that it isn't real. It if matters, it's real. If it's not real, it doesn't matter. If it doesn't matter, I'm not even talking about it...



...or simply be considered relative, which seems to work well.

Overall we're not far apart in our interpretation. I say that a time unit is a unit of change while you say that a time unit is a unit of the measurement of change.

Far out! Let's present our findings to the Nobel Prize Committee. The Queen of Sweden loves a big party and has a nice big place for parties. Although I have issues with accepting money from the production of dynamite, what the hey.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Good to get confirmation. We agree that time requires tsheinj.

Whoa, whoa, you're totally overreaching here. At the very most I agreed that some of your words were usable as a description, not that your tsheinj concept is some undeniable necessary component of the universe. Let's finish constructing your definition of tsheinj before we declare it as the undeniable bedrock of reality, can we? Making statements like that is simply assuming you're right before you've even finished articulating your argument. That you keep doing this despite avowing openness of mind with your "I'm just waiting for clairification" comment is one of the things that has annoyed me.

Maybe. It could be that the granularity of tsheinj is finer than detectable, or it could be that there are truly infinite states. I have not committed to either discrete or atomic states because I think either interpretation can be made to work. Scientific theories are commonly approximations waiting for more accurate theories.

But you are assuming discrete states - that's what you're trying to describe! If you can't separate one state out from another, you can't say that one state changes into another.

And we already have a more accurate theory. We already have general relativity, you don't need to wait for it before you come up with a definition of time that takes its observations into account.

We make two observations that each include our lab and the black hole. We may as well include some flying saucer traveling at half c. The differences between both observed states that include these three locations will be different in degree, clocks have not ticked as much as in our lab. We can either say that time has slowed down over there or that state differences are less over there.

This is one of the more fundamental things that you're missing: in a non-discrete continuum of differences, sequences of states aren't "less different" or "more different". Time is not simply talking about the differences, it's external to that. Remember how I described a special relativistic scenario where the exact same changes happen at the exact same pace, but in one case they're time-dilated and in the other they're not? The change is exactly the same, there isn't any more difference or less difference, it's the qualities of time that are different.

(By the way, are you implying that somehow bringing general relativity into this is equivalent to talking about UFOs? If there's some part of the conclusions or observations of modern science that you don't believe or don't agree with, feel free to say so and we'll work around it.)

(You realize that general relativity says a lot more than "things look different to different people", right? In fact what special and general relativity are saying is that things look different from different perspectives within space-time - and then it goes on to demonstrate that the rules really are the same everywhere and everywhen, they're not actually relative.)

No objection. My observation of both ends of some object will be different from your observation of both ends of the same object. States are relative to the observer, therefore so are manifestations of tsheinj.

That's a new one. So tsheinj involves a set of different states, there might be an order upon those states, and there's the property that states are different to different observers? Is the set of states relative? I.e. are there some states that may appear to some observers but not others? Is the order of states relative?

I touched on this above in my reply to baywax. My reality includes your reality and baywax's reality (because your realities affect my own) even though my observations may be different from yours. I'm just giving my interpretation of the word, by the way, not opening up a new debate on definitions (I hope).

Bringing up the observations of science isn't quite like subjective reality. But I'm glad to hear that the observations of science are admissible to this model.

Not yet. I can at least agree right now that clocks are subject to the same rules as everything else, be it deterministic or non-deterministic. But their specific discussion is best held until after another small step I need to take on a more basic matter.

Like I said, to me your clocks appear to either need determinism or an external concept of time to be like clocks in the real world. If you can take your next step without talking about clocks go ahead; if it's going to depend on some particular behavior or property of clocks I need a better definition of a clock and why you think they work the way they do in your tsheinj-defined time-free universe. You're pushing really hard to go to the next step without addressing many of the things I've brought up about what you've said so far - you keep assuming properties to states and clocks and objects that I'm pointing out can't be derived from your definitions alone but you refuse to add things to your present definitions.

 

[Boy@n]

A finite limit necessarily exists in the rate of change relative to an observer, a maximum that cannot be exceeded. If there were no such limit, an object could be said to change position instantaneously: the same object could co-exist in two separate places. But this would not be a true change in position, it would be two separate objects, each occupying its own position. True change therefore precludes an infinite pace. In other words, change is necessarily limited to some finite, maximum rate. As far as we can tell, this maximum matches the speed of light.

Given that a limit exists in the rate of change, the "slowing of time" in a fast-moving satellite can be seen as a figure of speech for what happens under the restrictions imposed by this limit. Within each inertial frame, observers cannot not feel this limit since changes seem to occur at a normal pace relative to the tick of their own clocks. But observation from a stationary base show that they are internally changing at a lesser pace relative to the tick of a stationary clock. The ticks of a satellite's clock drop out of sync relative to a stationary one. The rate of change in the position of the satellite contributes towards the maximum, along with its internal changes.

This interpretation just shows a different angle, by the way. Theories that deal with anything that changes can be reworded in terms of these changes relative to each other instead of making reference to time. It won't change the fundamental relationships expressed by the theory but a new angle can help to clarify.

I enjoy reading this thread, thanks!

I'd like to mention two things:

1. We could use word "time" as a term to describe "primordial change". Time is a change which is prior to any change and is included in all which exists and keeps changing, it's everywhere.

Time is result of initial expansion of Universe. Universe didn't come into existence from nothing, since only nothing can come out of nothing, Universe came into "existence", movement actually, from some constant state of "beingness" - which, IMO, was a conscious choice. (Of who or what? Well, let's save this question for some other time ;)

So, change doesn't happen just so, but because of Universal expansion, which started via Big Bang event.

This expansion (pull-to-all-directions) is what give rise to initial movement to all particles. At the same time it is this initial event which also "created" particles out of something solid. Once you have particles and movement it's not hard to imagine how atoms, molecules, cells etc. formed.

In a way "time" itself also changes (or should we say that rate of time changes? Well, not that it really matters for our practical reasons.) since we can observe that Universe is not just expanding but also accelerating in expansion.2. If you entangle two photons and then put them far apart, even light years apart, and if you then change state of first photon the state of second photon would instantly change accordingly to first photon!

But this tells me two things:
a) That there is no "natural" limit for change to happen, and
b) Time is proven to not exist (it's more like cosmic microwave background radiation)

Lastly, since all is, fundamentally, information, we could imagine doing all sort of things with entanglement. E.g. "telescopes" which could bring us pictures from light years away in an instant, computers which can calculate (change states of 1 and 0) instantly, instant-internet (anyone want to copyright that term for me? j/k) etc.Thoughts on this?

 

[baywax]

Suppose "tsheinj" is awareness. As in: "awareness of change" or "awareness of the passage of time".

With awareness being tsheinj then the granularity of it would equal the scale of neurotransmitters... etc...

 

[Boy@n]

(duplication of my post. mods, please remove this post.)

 

[out of whack]

Whoa, whoa, you're totally overreaching here.

OMFG, I though we were actually agreeing at least on terms. If you are feeling frustrated, I share the sentiment.

I gave you a definition of tsheinj: the existence of more than a single state. I asked "Do you agree or disagree that time requires the existence of more than a single state of reality?" I'm pretty darn sure you said yes to that. Now you say that this is not what you said yes to.

So let me ask again. Do you agree or disagree that time requires the existence of more than a single state of reality? Please clearly state if you agree or disagree. If you disagree, please explain in what way time relates to a single state of reality.

The rest of your post is too out of whack even for me. I clearly said that I do not assume discrete states and you insist that I do based on claims that states cannot be separated from each other while our definition of a state clearly allows it. You don't seem to understand what a difference is between the various parts of two states. You imagine that I try to denigrate GR because I used a flying saucer in an example; I could have used a Saturn rocket but they don't reach c/2. You keep trying to extend the definition of tsheinj beyond what I stated. Overall you completely fail to remain within the most basic parameters but persistently try to extend it well beyond what we have so far agreed upon, which now appears to be absolutely nothing after all.

On second thought if, like me, you are throwing your arms in the air on your side, maybe we are simply unable to communicate at all. I'll understand if you chose not to answer the question I asked above.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

OMFG, I though we were actually agreeing at least on terms. If you are feeling frustrated, I share the sentiment.

I gave you a definition of tsheinj: the existence of more than a single state. I asked "Do you agree or disagree that time requires the existence of more than a single state of reality?" I'm pretty darn sure you said yes to that. Now you say that this is not what you said yes to.

As I said before I actually said a "yes" to this before with a suspension-of-disbelief-qualification. When you asked it a second time I laid out all of the qualifications and you have appeared to ignore them or at least somehow interpret them as unqualified agreement. You're also rather freely switching back and forth between talking about multiple states of reality and swapping in "tsheinj", which I clearly have NOT acceded to.

So let me ask again. Do you agree or disagree that time requires the existence of more than a single state of reality? Please clearly state if you agree or disagree. If you disagree, please explain in what way time relates to a single state of reality.

As I keep pointing out, your tsheinj model is considerably more complicated than a set of multiple states of reality. To paraphrase what I said, combining your model with the observations of general relativity results in a difficulty actually saying that reality has multiple states.

I'm not arguing that time is a single state of reality but tell me this: how does your model prohibit time in a single state of reality? You've said that a state of reality can be attached to multiple clock tiks without considering it having been duplicated. So the clock can be ticking while nothing is changing. Isn't that in complete contravention to the basic idea of what you're saying?

You keep trying to extend the definition of tsheinj beyond what I stated.

No, you keep trying to make statements within your own framework that would require the definition of tsheinj to be extended beyond what you stated (assuming that you will refuse to bring time in as a separate entity from tsheinj, which would make your whole argument pointless because you're saying they're the same thing.) If all you have is a set of states with no order on them you have nothing remotely resembling time and you don't have ticking clocks, but you proceed with trying to use ticking clocks to ask questions and posit other parts of the model.

To bring up one of my assumptions that perhaps is not clear: if you are proposing that time and tsheinj are equivalent and redundant concepts, you have to come up with a framework explaining the phenomena we see in our universe using only tsheinj. You can't leave major aspects of our universe or experience unexplained and expect me to fill in the blanks, unmentioned, using my familiarity with the concept of time. So you have to get everything working properly before you declare "tsheinj is equivalent to time!" or "tsheinj is fundamental to time!" or anything else related to your conclusion: time doesn't exist in the universe you're talking about. But right out of the gate here your time-free tsheinj-only universe is falling flat on its face because it lacks some basic properties of our universe (as well as some sophisticated properties.)

If I've misconstrued the way you're trying to do this - if you're intentionally starting from a universe that initially requires both time and tsheinj as separate concepts - you need to be specific about what properties of the universe time is causing which tsheinj is currently leaving out and later go one-by-one and prove that tsheinj causes those things too. But even if you're using that approach you're still leaving tsheinj partly undefined so you still shouldn't be saying "tsheinj is fundamental to time!" - you're talking as if I've written you a conceptual blank check when you're asking me questions about a completely alien, undefined concept. Which is the whole point of using the term "tsheinj" instead of "change", isn't it? To start off with an undefined concept so that we don't make any assumptions based upon the meaning of "change"?

 

[out of whack]

As I said before I actually said a "yes" to this before with a suspension-of-disbelief-qualification.

If a "suspension of disbelief" means that you now believe it then all you said was yes. If you means that you don't believe it but agree anyway then you are double talking and you will not be understood. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

I laid out all of the qualifications and you appeared to ignore them or at least somehow interpret them as unqualified agreement.

I ignored them because they were immaterial to the more elementary point we were discussing. You jumped the gun. You spoke of time-related topics that are premature since at that point we were just starting to establish if a relation between time and tsheinj even exists. When you jump the gun it makes it hard to reach any agreement on basic concepts.

I tried already to indulge your eagerness to discuss relativity by sketching how it will come together through tsheinj. I do this because you include many side comments to your replies and bring them back if I don't address them. But you won't really see how it works if we can't even agree on basics. From now on (if we continue this) I will just tell you that we are not there yet.

You're also rather freely switching back and forth between talking about multiple states of reality and swapping in "tsheinj", which I clearly have NOT acceded to.

There is nothing to acceed to. I gave you the meaning of tsheinj: the fact that there is more than one state. It's a definition of a word I invented. There is nothing to discuss about a definition. I had to invent a word because of your refusal to adhere to a single definition of the word "change". If you use words with different meanings in different contexts then you will remain ambiguous. I want to be understood. When I say tsheinj it means that that multiple states exist. I'm not switching back and forth between concepts, they are one and the same. One is a word, one is the meaning of the word. Am I being understood?

As I keep pointing out, your tsheinj model is considerably more complicated than a set of multiple states of reality.

Tsheinj is not a model. It's a word that means multiple states of reality. It's not more complicated than that.

To paraphrase what I said, combining your model with the observations of general relativity results in a difficulty actually saying that reality has multiple states.

We're not there yet.

I'm not arguing that time is a single state of reality but tell me this: how does your model prohibit time in a single state of reality?

I explained this more than once in this thread, including when I was talking to you directly. You can read back to get the details, but essentially if there were a single state then it would make no difference if time exists or if time does not exist. If you say time would make a difference, please point out this difference.

You've said that a state of reality can be attached to multiple clock tiks without considering it having been duplicated.

No. I said that if there is no difference between two states then it is the same state when we were discussing a succession of different states in a deterministic and non-deterministic reality. This discussion involved tsheinj, the fact that there is more than one state. Surely you can see that this was a different question.

So the clock can be ticking while nothing is changing. Isn't that in complete contravention to the basic idea of what you're saying?

You got confused. If the clock is ticking then something is changing (the clock) so we necessarily have different states. State A can be followed by states B and C and then A again, as the clock keeps ticking. By the time state A returns, the clock has to be in the same state as it was at the previous occurrence of A otherwise we will not have A again but something else. This succession of states is an entirely different premise from the question at hand where only one (1) state is said to exist. Do you now see the difference? Please say if you don't. I don't want to proceed with the assumption that you do only to learn two replies later that you did not after all.

No, you keep trying to make statements within your own framework that would require the definition of tsheinj to be extended beyond what you stated

That's not how definitions work. They only give the meaning of words, they are not a model and they don't require extensions. It is possible to understand relationships and concepts that involve words without extending the definition of these words.

(assuming that you will refuse to bring time in as a separate entity from tsheinj, which would make your whole argument pointless because you're saying they're the same thing.)

The point of my presentation is to show, not just claim, that the concept of time is equivalent to the fact that there are multiple states. I am not just stating this equivalence as fact, I am explaining step by step why this is the correct conclusion. Providing this explanation to you has been an exceedingly laborious endeavor that has been interrupted, side-tracked and back-tracked. If you cannot even agree on the definition of one word then I may be unable to complete my presentation in a language you can understand.

If all you have is a set of states with no order on them you have nothing remotely resembling time and you don't have ticking clocks, but you proceed with trying to use ticking clocks to ask questions and posit other parts of the model.

We have not addressed order yet, it's premature. I don't use ticking clocks to ask questions. I don't posit a model. You make a lot of assumptions.

---

I see you've edited your post while I was writing this. I will look again tomorrow, it's late and I'm grouchy.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

I'm sorry about the edit, it was the last couple of paragraphs I added in case I'm misinterpreting your approach.

I guess another thing that confused me, then, is that you've been talking about time-like concepts but refraining from mentioning time for the most part as well as coming up with the new word "tik" for the time-related concept of a clock tick.

So let me try my parsing of it: We have tsheinj which is a set of possible states for the universe. Because of some property of the universe (or maybe just a property of clocks), call it "tyme" those possible states can have a linear order placed upon them. Because of this order we can have an object in the universe called a clock, which is a device intended to track the progress of the universe along this order. The clock has states called "tiks" which are regarded as equidistant along that order - equidistant in some way that does not involve counting the intervening states, evidently? So the tiks permit relative measurement of the correlated states of the rest of the universe by whatever standard through which the tiks are considered to be equidistant.

(Yes, as you said in one of your earlier responses, I don't think that talking about order is premature because it seems like you can't have a concept anything like a clock without an order and you've already introduced clocks. I apologize if I'm being presumptuous about the nature of clocks but since you didn't come up with a new word I assumed that I was to take it as familiar. Also let me apologize if I'm being presumptuous about the reason that distinguishes "tiks" as special states of clocks.)

Also, since we're talking about clocks, I want to point out that your discussion (perhaps purely an example only analyzing part of the relevant attributes of clocks, so I may be stating a position here that you already hold) of a clock as a device that goes from state A to state B to state C and back to A again, continuing the cycle, is not a sufficient definition for a clock; there could be a device that cycled through states like that but if it completed the cycles in variable amounts of time it wouldn't be a clock. (I'm not talking about accuracy here, I'm pointing out that a separate concept of time is necessary in addition to a cyclical series of states, otherwise how are you to judge whether the cycles are completed within the same amount of time or not? I.e. "these three marker states passed add up to a tick state reached" doesn't make sense unless you already have the concept that the marker states are measurably distant from each other along some continuum.)

If that correctly sums up where we are so far and tsheinj is only responsible for the fact that there are multiple states of the universe, then within this framework I'll say that tsheinj is fundamental and inextricably related to both "tyme" and the standard through which the tiks are considered to be equidistant (which may also be tyme if you want). But I'm not yet ready to declare that this framework is identical to the reality observed by science, though so far it seems to fit human experience pretty well. If that all fits we can go on to the next step.

 

[out of whack]

I'm sorry about the edit, it was the last couple of paragraphs I added in case I'm misinterpreting your approach.

Alright, I will respond to these two paragraphs in light of what I already responded to.

To bring up one of my assumptions that perhaps is not clear: if you are proposing that time and tsheinj are equivalent and redundant concepts, you have to come up with a framework explaining the phenomena we see in our universe using only tsheinj. You can't leave major aspects of our universe or experience unexplained and expect me to fill in the blanks, unmentioned, using my familiarity with the concept of time. So you have to get everything working properly before you declare "tsheinj is equivalent to time!" or "tsheinj is fundamental to time!" or anything else related to your conclusion: time doesn't exist in the universe you're talking about. But right out of the gate here your time-free tsheinj-only universe is falling flat on its face because it lacks some basic properties of our universe (as well as some sophisticated properties.)

My interest is not in a fictitious universe other than our own. I may at times make assumptions like the one that a single state exists but it is qualified as such: as a premise to an argument used to reach a conclusion. Otherwise I am interested in what is real. The observation that more than a single state exists applies to our universe, our reality (the one where many people discuss time without a clear understanding of its nature). You challenge me to establish a full framework but you don't even accept a simple definition. It's not possible to explain the complex until the simple is explained in a way you can relate to.

If I've misconstrued the way you're trying to do this - if you're intentionally starting from a universe that initially requires both time and tsheinj as separate concepts - you need to be specific about what properties of the universe time is causing which tsheinj is currently leaving out and later go one-by-one and prove that tsheinj causes those things too. But even if you're using that approach you're still leaving tsheinj partly undefined so you still shouldn't be saying "tsheinj is fundamental to time!" - you're talking as if I've written you a conceptual blank check when you're asking me questions about a completely alien, undefined concept. Which is the whole point of using the term "tsheinj" instead of "change", isn't it? To start off with an undefined concept so that we don't make any assumptions based upon the meaning of "change"?

Again, the whole point of using the word "tsheinj" instead of "change" is that you refuse to abide by a unique definition of the word in the context of this discussion. I had to create a new word just for you. I would have preferred to stick to "change" and other participants in this thread appeared to understand what it stands for, but I tried to accommodate you.

Regarding the claim that tsheinj is fundamentally true, this was discussed at post #59:
"I could bet you a million dollars (which I conveniently don't have) against a penny that change happens. If I am right, I will be a penny richer! If I am wrong then it's not a problem at all and I will not lose my million because that would be a change, which would make me right and earn me a penny. It's a bet I cannot lose."

Also at post #100:
"tsheinj, a fundamental, undeniable property of reality that we all know directly at least within our own consciousness since we know we change our mind."

Also at post #102:
"It is undeniable that reality has multiple states as you can confirm by having a thought. You don't need to believe that the thought occurred either deterministically or non-deterministically and you don't need to observe a specific order in your thoughts. You only have to observe / believe / accept / recognize that your consciousness has more than a single state as you do when you change your mind. We cannot discuss anything that involves different states unless you accept that at least your consciousness does."

If you claim that reality is unchanging, that it has a single state then we cannot possibly understand each other. But if you agree that reality has more than just one state as a self-evident truth (like the self-evident truth of your own existence) then it becomes an axiom, something fundamentally true about reality. Think about this carefully. Read this section again if necessary. Then tell me if you agree or disagree. And remember that tsheinj is the fact that reality has more than a single state. If you accept this then you accept tsheinj. As I already explained, it's just a word, nothing complicated and not a model.

I guess another thing that confused me, then, is that you've been talking about time-like concepts but refraining from mentioning time for the most part as well as coming up with the new word "tik" for the time-related concept of a clock tick.

I refrain from using the word "time" when it is not necessary to the presentation because the point is to define what time is. I cannot make meaningful use of the word until its meaning is established. But we know that a clock exhibits tsheinj: we can recognize more than a single state of the clock. The concept of tsheinj is sufficient here, we don't need to introduce an as-yet undefined word to explain that the clock exhibits tsheinj. I introduced the tik as a tsheinj-only concept explicitly to avoid talking about time before we define what time is. Time remains undefined at this point.

So let me try my parsing of it: We have tsheinj which is a set of possible states for the universe. Because of some property of the universe (or maybe just a property of clocks), call it "tyme" those possible states can have a linear order placed upon them. Because of this order we can have an object in the universe called a clock, which is a device intended to track the progress of the universe along this order. The clock has states called "tiks" which are regarded as equidistant along that order - equidistant in some way that does not involve counting the intervening states, evidently? So the tiks permit relative measurement of the correlated states of the rest of the universe by whatever standard through which the tiks are considered to be equidistant.

You're going off on a tangent again. Before you start discussing ordering of states you need to either agree or disagree that reality has more than a single state. It sounds like you agree but you refrain from saying so. Then you postulate that states are equidistant and that their intervening states are uncountable. You are building a model under your own terms. I hope you won't assign your creation to me for the fun of demolishing it. I can already tell you it is unsubstantiated.

(Yes, as you said in one of your earlier responses, I don't think that talking about order is premature because it seems like you can't have a concept anything like a clock without an order and you've already introduced clocks. I apologize if I'm being presumptuous about the nature of clocks but since you didn't come up with a new word I assumed that I was to take it as familiar. Also let me apologize if I'm being presumptuous about the reason that distinguishes "tiks" as special states of clocks.)

Talking about order is premature. You don't realize why because you don't understand the start. I introduced clocks early in our discussion because I assumed you understood the words I was using. Since you didn't, it is better to postpone the clock discussion as well. I will skip your next paragraph on clocks.

If that correctly sums up where we are so far and tsheinj is only responsible for the fact that there are multiple states of the universe

Golly gee. Tsheinj is not responsible for tsheing. Tsheinj is tsheinj. In spite of everything I said and explained and repeated, you still don't understand that a word is not a thing you can hold responsible for its definition. Tsheinj is the fact that there are multiple states. What you have just said is that "the fact that there are multiple states is only responsible for the fact that there are multiple states".

If that all fits we can go on to the next step.

Nope. None of what you added fits. You jump to speculations left and right and keep introducing redundant concepts in what feels like a malicious effort to derail the process. Maybe it's not malicious at all so understand that I am not accusing you of this, it's just how it feels at my receiving end.

Regrettably, I have to end our exchange. It's just not worth the aggravation. Best of luck to you.

 

[baywax]

Alright, I will respond to these two paragraphs in light of what I already responded to.



My interest is not in a fictitious universe other than our own. I may at times make assumptions like the one that a single state exists but it is qualified as such: as a premise to an argument used to reach a conclusion. Otherwise I am interested in what is real. The observation that more than a single state exists applies to our universe, our reality (the one where many people discuss time without a clear understanding of its nature). You challenge me to establish a full framework but you don't even accept a simple definition. It's not possible to explain the complex until the simple is explained in a way you can relate to.



Again, the whole point of using the word "tsheinj" instead of "change" is that you refuse to abide by a unique definition of the word in the context of this discussion. I had to create a new word just for you. I would have preferred to stick to "change" and other participants in this thread appeared to understand what it stands for, but I tried to accommodate you.

Regarding the claim that tsheinj is fundamentally true, this was discussed at post #59:
"I could bet you a million dollars (which I conveniently don't have) against a penny that change happens. If I am right, I will be a penny richer! If I am wrong then it's not a problem at all and I will not lose my million because that would be a change, which would make me right and earn me a penny. It's a bet I cannot lose."

Also at post #100:
"tsheinj, a fundamental, undeniable property of reality that we all know directly at least within our own consciousness since we know we change our mind."

Also at post #102:
"It is undeniable that reality has multiple states as you can confirm by having a thought. You don't need to believe that the thought occurred either deterministically or non-deterministically and you don't need to observe a specific order in your thoughts. You only have to observe / believe / accept / recognize that your consciousness has more than a single state as you do when you change your mind. We cannot discuss anything that involves different states unless you accept that at least your consciousness does."

If you claim that reality is unchanging, that it has a single state then we cannot possibly understand each other. But if you agree that reality has more than just one state as a self-evident truth (like the self-evident truth of your own existence) then it becomes an axiom, something fundamentally true about reality. Think about this carefully. Read this section again if necessary. Then tell me if you agree or disagree. And remember that tsheinj is the fact that reality has more than a single state. If you accept this then you accept tsheinj. As I already explained, it's just a word, nothing complicated and not a model.



I refrain from using the word "time" when it is not necessary to the presentation because the point is to define what time is. I cannot make meaningful use of the word until its meaning is established. But we know that a clock exhibits tsheinj: we can recognize more than a single state of the clock. The concept of tsheinj is sufficient here, we don't need to introduce an as-yet undefined word to explain that the clock exhibits tsheinj. I introduced the tik as a tsheinj-only concept explicitly to avoid talking about time before we define what time is. Time remains undefined at this point.



You're going off on a tangent again. Before you start discussing ordering of states you need to either agree or disagree that reality has more than a single state. It sounds like you agree but you refrain from saying so. Then you postulate that states are equidistant and that their intervening states are uncountable. You are building a model under your own terms. I hope you won't assign your creation to me for the fun of demolishing it. I can already tell you it is unsubstantiated.



Talking about order is premature. You don't realize why because you don't understand the start. I introduced clocks early in our discussion because I assumed you understood the words I was using. Since you didn't, it is better to postpone the clock discussion as well. I will skip your next paragraph on clocks.



Golly gee. Tsheinj is not responsible for tsheing. Tsheinj is tsheinj. In spite of everything I said and explained and repeated, you still don't understand that a word is not a thing you can hold responsible for its definition. Tsheinj is the fact that there are multiple states. What you have just said is that "the fact that there are multiple states is only responsible for the fact that there are multiple states".



Nope. None of what you added fits. You jump to speculations left and right and keep introducing redundant concepts in what feels like a malicious effort to derail the process. Maybe it's not malicious at all so understand that I am not accusing you of this, it's just how it feels at my receiving end.

Regrettably, I have to end our exchange. It's just not worth the aggravation. Best of luck to you.

"Change":

change | ch ānj|
verb
1 make or become different : [ trans. ] a proposal to change the law | [ intrans. ] a Virginia creeper just beginning to change from green to gold.
• make or become a different substance entirely; transform : [ trans. ] filters change the ammonia into nitrate [ intrans. ] | computer graphics can show cars changing into cheetahs.
• [ intrans. ] alter in terms of : the ferns began to change shape.
• [ intrans. ] (of traffic lights) move from one color of signal to another.
• (of a boy's voice) become deeper with the onset of puberty.
• [ intrans. ] (of the moon) arrive at a fresh phase; become new.
2 [ trans. ] take or use another instead of : she decided to change her name.
• move from one to another : she changed jobs incessantly | change sides.
• exchange; trade : the sun and moon changed places.
• [ intrans. ] move to a different train, airplane, or subway line.
• give up (something) in exchange for something else : we changed the shades for vertical blinds.
• remove (something dirty or faulty) and replace it with another of the same kind : change a light bulb.
• put a clean diaper on (a baby or young child).
• engage a different gear in a motor vehicle : [ trans. ] wait for a gap and then change gears | figurative with business concluded, the convention changes gear and a gigantic circus takes over the town.
• exchange (a sum of money) for the same amount in smaller denominations or in coins, or for different currency.
• [ intrans. ] put different clothes on : he changed for dinner.
noun
1 the act or instance of making or becoming different : the change from a nomadic to an agricultural society | environmental change.
• the substitution of one thing for another : a change of venue.
• an alteration or modification : a change came over Eddie's face.
• a new or refreshingly different experience : couscous makes an interesting change from rice.
• [in sing. ] a clean garment or garments as a replacement for clothes one is wearing : a change of socks.
• ( the change or the change of life) informal menopause.
• the moon's arrival at a fresh phase, typically at the new moon.
• Baseball another term for change-up .
2 coins as opposed to paper currency : a handful of loose change.
• money given in exchange for the same amount in larger denominations.
• money returned to someone as the balance of the amount paid for something : I watched him pocket the change.
3 (usu. changes) an order in which a peal of bells can be rung.
4 ( Change or 'Change) Brit., historical a place where merchants met to do business.
PHRASES
change color blanch or flush.
change hands (of a business or building) pass to a different owner. • (of money or a marketable commodity) pass to another person during a business transaction : no money has changed hands.
change one's mind adopt a different opinion or plan.
change off take turns.
a change of heart a move to a different opinion or attitude.
change step (in marching) alter one's step so that the opposite leg marks time.
change the subject begin talking about something different, esp. to avoid embarrassment or the divulgence of confidences.
change one's tune 1 express a different opinion or behave in a different way. 2 change one's style of language or manner, esp. from an insolent to a respectful tone.
for a change contrary to how things usually happen; for variety : it's nice to be pampered for a change.
ring the changes vary the ways of expressing, arranging, or doing something. [ORIGIN: with allusion to bell-ringing and the different orders in which a peal of bells may be rung.]
PHRASAL VERBS
change over move from one system or situation to another : crop farmers have to change over to dairy farming.
DERIVATIVES
changeful |ˈ ch ānjfəl| adjective
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French change (noun), changer (verb), from late Latin cambiare, from Latin cambire ‘barter,’ probably of Celtic origin.

Thesaurus
change
verb
1 this could change the face of television | things have changed alter, make/become different, adjust, adapt, amend, modify, revise, refine; reshape, refashion, redesign, restyle, revamp, rework, remodel, reorganize, reorder; vary, transform, transfigure, transmute, metamorphose, evolve; informal tweak, doctor, rejig; technical permute. antonym preserve, stay the same.
2 they've changed places exchange, substitute, swap, switch, replace, alternate, interchange. antonym keep.
noun
1 a change of plan alteration, modification, variation, revision, amendment, adjustment, adaptation; remodeling, reshaping, rearrangement, reordering, restyling, reworking; metamorphosis, transformation, evolution, mutation; informal transmogrification.
2 a change of government exchange, substitution, swap, switch, changeover, replacement, alternation, interchange.
3 I don't have any change coins, loose/small change, silver; cash, petty cash; formal specie.
PHRASES
have a change of heart. See heart .

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Regrettably, I have to end our exchange. It's just not worth the aggravation. Best of luck to you.

"A set of possible states of the universe" or the existence of that set does not remotely resemble any concept of what "change" is that I'm familiar with. It has perhaps been uncharitable of me to suspect that it might take on other characteristics as the discussion proceeded and I apologize if this was unforgivably uncharitable of me.

I hope you can see that you were trying to force me to declare that tsheinj is something which is "real" with no conflict with any of the various points I brought up against that, and also force me to declare that it is fundamentally essential to time, before saying anything about what time is or even being able to articulate what a clock is in relation to tsheinj. I'm sorry you've gotten too aggravated to go on but please realize I'm not the only one who has been unreasonable.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Another thing, on the definition of states: if you were to concede that the concept of time implies a continuum and talk about a way of dividing it up into regions, with rules for how the boundary between these regions are laid out and how to decide which side of a region boundary is inclusive and which side is a limit, with some kind of Bayesian principle so that every space-time coordinate is ensured to be included in exactly one region, I would be more inclined to regard it as compatible with GR and perhaps accede to you using time regions the way you want to use the "states" you're talking about. But the scenario you've been trying to push on me really is a set of discrete states, not a continuum, (I've never heard the word "state" applied to a bounded region before) and it has the handy property for you that you can talk about how one state "changes into" another state without having to deal with inconvenient things like blurred or contoured time boundaries. And hanging on to that while beating your "Undeniable! Undeniable! Undeniable!" drum hasn't endeared me to this talk of multiple states of reality.

Another tack - you could also just say "suppose reality has multiple states" instead of trying to force me into agreeing on that assumption and assumptions about its relationship to time. Then you could just go through your presentation and get to what you think time is and why you think it's equivalent to change.

 

[Boy@n]

I've got a "most stupid" question to ask...

How is it possible that we can move? E.g. how is it possible that you can move your hand from one place to another?

I am sure you are thinking now that this is the stupidest question you ever heard, right?

Bear with me for a minute and let's see if that's really so.


As you know TV displays 30 Frames Per Second (that's in USA, in EU it's 25 FPS), so, how many FPS is reality?

If I record your hand with a perfect camera moving from point A to point B, how many FPS would I record?

One answer is to say that there are infinite steps, but if so, then how is it possible that you moved your hand from A to B if there are infinite steps?!

And if there are finite steps, then how many are there, how many FPS would a perfect camera make? As many as there are distances of plank constant? (Since nothing real can be smaller than that.) But then again, how is it possible you made billions and billions of steps in such a short time and with so little energy?

See, I think that it's function of time which makes this possible, which makes space-time a continuum and not something discrete, where only changes count, it's time which somehow converts infinity to finity.

Your thoughts?

 

[baywax]

I've got a "most stupid" question to ask...

How is it possible that we can move? E.g. how is it possible that you can move your hand from one place to another?

I am sure you are thinking now that this is the stupidest question you ever heard, right?

Bear with me for a minute and let's see if that's really so.


As you know TV displays 30 Frames Per Second (that's in USA, in EU it's 25 FPS), so, how many FPS is reality?

If I record your hand with a perfect camera moving from point A to point B, how many FPS would I record?

One answer is to say that there are infinite steps, but if so, then how is it possible that you moved your hand from A to B if there are infinite steps?!

And if there are finite steps, then how many are there, how many FPS would a perfect camera make? As many as there are distances of plank constant? (Since nothing real can be smaller than that.) But then again, how is it possible you made billions and billions of steps in such a short time and with so little energy?

See, I think that it's function of time which makes this possible, which makes space-time a continuum and not something discrete, where only changes count, it's time which somehow converts infinity to finity.

Your thoughts?

Your hand is everywhere at the same time. Its your brain that can't see that.

 

[out of whack]

1. We could use word "time" as a term to describe "primordial change". Time is a change which is prior to any change and is included in all which exists and keeps changing, it's everywhere.

Delayed reaction to your post...

I don't see how this could works, how a change could be prior to any change. Also defining time as something that is "prior to" anything does not advance us because being "prior to" already requires time, which is what you are trying to define, which makes a definition like this circular.

2. If you entangle two photons

I cannot address this second point. I am not familiar enough with entanglement. It's an intriguing concept but I have not been intrigued enough to research it yet. You could search the quantum physics forum for "entanglement" and post a question if you don't find your answer in existing threads.

How is it possible that we can move?

Now, that's an ultimate question. By what magic can we ever change position? Here's another ultimate question: by what magic can we even exist?

The trouble is that these questions ask for a cause or a mechanism or some principle that must exist and be active and effective in order to account for existence or the ability to change position. And here's the rub: if you were able to describe this cause then you would have to ask "Where does this cause come from?" And this question would repeat again for the cause of the cause of the cause...

The short of it is, asking for the cause of the first cause is a nonsensical question. The assumption that the first cause has a cause is self-contradictory, which sadly makes the question invalid.

This realization is frustrating at first but then liberating as well. It is frustrating to realize that some questions cannot even be asked rationally, let alone be answered. But, after a short period of this frustration, it become liberating to realize that this gives us two very strong concepts: existence and change. In my world view, these two concepts are at the base of everything that matters. Other concepts require at least these two, they derive from this base. Of course, not everyone agree on this.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

One answer is to say that there are infinite steps, but if so, then how is it possible that you moved your hand from A to B if there are infinite steps?!

This is a very ancient question in the form of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeno%27s_paradox" which has been debated for nearly 2500 years. I don't know if you'll find an answer there but it definitely gives you lots to chew on.

 

[DaveC426913]

As you know TV displays 30 Frames Per Second (that's in USA, in EU it's 25 FPS), so, how many FPS is reality?

Well, a Planck unit is 10^-43 seconds. That is theoretically the "atom" of time.

 

[Boy@n]

Your hand is everywhere at the same time. Its your brain that can't see that.

Good explanation! If not the only one...

That's what I imagined too. That everything possible already exists at once as one.

Here is an analogy to describe that:
Let's say that whole of exitence is a photo. Now, if you've got "infinite" awareness then you can see this photo at once as one thing (that's perhaps how some "Ultimate Being" sees it), and since our human awareness is limited, or better to say, very "narrow", then it means that we see this photo bit by bit (from moment to moment). Just like a scanner which scans photo bit-by-bit, line-by-line, into computer, and after certain time whole of photo is stored into computer. Scanning would thus represent evolution. (It's then when we get self-realized, or say, God-realized.)


This would then mean that we never move at all...

So, instead of imagining that which IS (all that which exists) to be moving, it's much easier to imagine that one does perceiving of all that which is, in own unique way, defined by own state of awareness.

Since all there IS is ultimately information and awareness of it, or say, infinite thoughts, then we are simply limited awareness which perceives just certain thoughts out of infinite ocean of thoughts.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Let's say that whole of exitence is a photo. Now, if you've got "infinite" awareness then you can see this photo at once as one thing (that's perhaps how some "Ultimate Being" sees it), and since our human awareness is limited, or better to say, very "narrow", then it means that we see this photo bit by bit (from moment to moment).

One of my points in the aborted "time versus change" discussion without of whack above was that given the observations of general relativity it seems difficult to regard moments as separate ("discrete" is the way I was saying it.) In GR thanks to acceleration and gravity moments curve, blur together, and intersect with one another.

I don't know if that has direct bearing on the Xeno's Paradox thing, though.

BTW, as far as the "Ultimate Being" vantage point you might want to check out "Laplace's Demon." That's how this concept has been expressed in the past.

 

[Boy@n]

I don't see how this could works, how a change could be prior to any change.

Imagine one state of beingness, such which is perfect per-se, ultimately joyful, wholey fulfilled (one might name that God).

That's kinda "solid" or "constant" state of existence, even if perfect. Now, the only thing this state doesn't have is change. And idea of change is born. Now, how would one make the most interesting "experiment" of change? By starting at very beginning. From "solid" state, which would "explode" and be "filled" with void.

So, if once all there was, was, say, infinite white cube, then creation of Universe would happen by event which would "break" (part of) that solid cube into most tiny pieaces possible and so creation of fundamental particles happens. From then on not much is needed to create all possible states of existence as we know it (formation of atoms, molecules, cells, life forms...).

If you look at cellular automata it's obvious that very complex patterns can be created out of very simple rules. Thus, there might be a VERY simple set of rules, or just one rule, upon which whole known existence got created.

Also defining time as something that is "prior to" anything does not advance us because being "prior to" already requires time, which is what you are trying to define, which makes a definition like this circular.

Well, not exactly. There can be various sets of "time". Time in our Universe is just "ours" time, before our Universe coming into existence there might of been previous and different kind of existence (say, "static cube" as I described above). Time in our Universe begins with our Universe, since all we know as "our kind" of existence happened since initial (Big Bang) event.

Now, that's an ultimate question. By what magic can we ever change position? Here's another ultimate question: by what magic can we even exist?

The trouble is that these questions ask for a cause or a mechanism or some principle that must exist and be active and effective in order to account for existence or the ability to change position. And here's the rub: if you were able to describe this cause then you would have to ask "Where does this cause come from?" And this question would repeat again for the cause of the cause of the cause...

The short of it is, asking for the cause of the first cause is a nonsensical question. The assumption that the first cause has a cause is self-contradictory, which sadly makes the question invalid.

This realization is frustrating at first but then liberating as well. It is frustrating to realize that some questions cannot even be asked rationally, let alone be answered. But, after a short period of this frustration, it become liberating to realize that this gives us two very strong concepts: existence and change. In my world view, these two concepts are at the base of everything that matters. Other concepts require at least these two, they derive from this base. Of course, not everyone agree on this.

The cause of our known existence might be as simple as some "abosolute awareness" imagining and desiring change.

Anyway, whatever the cause is, our very existence proves that something exists since ever, or else nothing would ever exist, we'd not exist.

And, since infinity is one very "long thing", it means, to me anyway, that "something" had to reach "absolute-ultimate awareness" (absolute knowingness, absolute joy, absolute state of beingness).

And with such incredible & ultimate "all-knowing mind" what cannot be possible?

 

[dst]

This is a very ancient question in the form of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeno%27s_paradox" which has been debated for nearly 2500 years. I don't know if you'll find an answer there but it definitely gives you lots to chew on.

Xeno's paradox was solved long long ago, he just didn't take time into account. And his paradox is a good description of an exponential function (or its inverse), but nothing binds you to travel half the distance of the previous in the same amount of time. What he was effectively saying is something along the lines of speed = e^-dt which is a bit retarded.

 

[Boy@n]

One of my points in the aborted "time versus change" discussion without of whack above was that given the observations of general relativity it seems difficult to regard moments as separate ("discrete" is the way I was saying it.) In GR thanks to acceleration and gravity moments curve, blur together, and intersect with one another.

I agree, if space-time is not a continuum but rather something discrete, then any change would have infinite steps, and thus, nothing could ever happen, because nothing would ever have an ending. In bit different words, any change from state A to state B has infinite changes in between, except if there is something which defines beginning and ending of every change, which seems to be function of time?!

I don't know if that has direct bearing on the Xeno's Paradox thing, though.

BTW, as far as the "Ultimate Being" vantage point you might want to check out "Laplace's Demon." That's how this concept has been expressed in the past.

Thanks for both pieces of info, checking them out right now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeno%27s_paradox"

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Xeno's paradox was solved long long ago, he just didn't take time into account. And his paradox is a good description of an exponential function (or its inverse), but nothing binds you to travel half the distance of the previous in the same amount of time. What he was effectively saying is something along the lines of speed = e^-dt which is a bit retarded.

I don't know where you're getting the "travel half the distance of the previous in the same amount of time." All the formulations and analyses I've seen of it involve taking less time to cover the shorter distance. Though I don't think he was specifying that, his premise is simply that each fractional distance takes some amount of time.

I'm partial to the solutions involving a convergent mathematical series myself but not everyone finds them entirely satisfying.

(By the way, throwing up an equation like that and then calling Xeno retarded, two millenia before Newton or Leibniz when, for example, they didn't have the concept of an equals sign, is a bit retarded.)

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Cover story on whether time is illusory in this week's New Scientist:

http://www.newscientist.com/contents.ns?query=issue:2639

 

[Cale Carter]

Help. Noobie trying to learn something.

For time to exist Mass must be present and and velocity must be less than or equal to the speed of light.

Is that statement right or wrong?

 

[DaveC426913]

It's ... not even wrong.

We don't know what time is, or whether it is dependent on mass. I'm not sure what you mean by "present". Do you mean 'locally', or 'in the universe'?

As for "velocity must be less than or equal to the speed of light", velocity of what?

I get the feeling you're looking at this from a non-valid frame of reference but I'm not sure.

Can you reword your question?

 

[Cale Carter]

It's ... not even wrong.

We don't know what time is, or whether it is dependent on mass. I'm not sure what you mean by "present". Do you mean 'locally', or 'in the universe'?

As for "velocity must be less than or equal to the speed of light", velocity of what?

I get the feeling you're looking at this from a non-valid frame of reference but I'm not sure.

Can you reword your question?

Agreed.

I was wondering what you had to have to have Time.. what it was made up of.

My first thought was that time requires mass and velocity to be present.

If you have no mass and velocity there is no time.. or time does not pass.

I am sorry as english is not my best language..

If there is no mass present there is no time.
If that mass has no velocity (or velocity exceeds the speed of light) there is no time.


Time requires mass and velocity (c-x)?


Perhaps this is philosophy instead of physic?

I am thanking you.

 

[DaveC426913]

There is no reason to think that the absence of mass means the absence of time, nor is there any reason to think that the absence of movement would mean the absence of time.

Here is a https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=202306" on that very topic, but it's quite long. It's tempting to just read the last few posts but I advise you start from the beginning as some of the things you're asking about (mass, movement) are dealt with in the first few pages.