An Inquiry about Time

Craig Blair

An Inquiry about Time

Craig Blair

A - Awful doubts... (L'ombre d'un doute)

1. Is there for you any convincing proof that time really exists ?

There is no proof, but I am sure it does by my traveling through it every day.

2. Couldn't it be possible that all our movements are not real and that all appearances are just a sort of holographic hallucination ?

It is possible, but I don't believe that it is.

3. Does any object, which has never been observed, but which is existing nevertheless, possess any temporal and spatial existence ?

This is a question I have asked before. If I have no awareness of something, then to me it does not exist. So if nothing has awareness of something, does it exist at all?

B - Approaching Time

1. What is Time to you - is it a friend or an enemy ?

Neither, it simply is.

2. Is Time something rather positive, negative or indifferent to you and why ?

Indifferent I guess, because I don't think of my life as being affected much by it.

3. If you were given a machine allowing traveling in Time, where would you travel and why?

3.a. into the past ?

3.b. into the future ?

Both, strictly out of curiosity

C - Looking for the limits of Time

1. Could Time be limited by something ?

1.a. If yes please indicate by what and under which circumstances

2.b. If not, why not ?

2. Are there any means to stop Time ?

2.a If yes, which ones ?

I did not think that anything could limit time, but I recently read an article about scientists that stopped light. Would this be the same as stopping time? If light stopped, would time stop?

3. What is the contrary of Time ?

I guess it would be "anti-time" and would travel backward instead of forward. Some theorists have postulated that if the universe stops expanding and begins to collapse in on itself that time will run backwards.

4. What is the biggest enemy of Time and why ?

I don't believe time has an enemy.

5. How do you interpret the meaning of the word "timeless" ?

Something that is not attached to a particular place in time. The works of certain artists are "timeless".

D - Parsing Time - Past, Present, Future

1. What does the present mean to you ?

Now.

2. Where does the future start ?

With the next moment.

3. Where does the past end ?

With the passing of the last moment.

4. Explain the role of past, present and future within Time.

4.a. Do they play an equal roles ?

4.b. If not, which of them is the most important ?

5. Which statements can you make about past and future ?

6. What are the most important meanings attached to past present and future?

E - Shaping and Structuring Time

1. What is for you the most important characteristic of Time ?

That it is not static. It is constantly moving forward into the future.

2. What makes you recognize or realize the existence or the passing of time ?

Growth, aging, decay...

3. Do you think Time has any direction ?

Yes. So far it seems to be moving in only one direction -- forward. Does it move backwards? I don't know.

4. Does an expression like "the arrow of time" mean anything to you ?

I guess it means that it moves in one direction, like an arrow. However, an arrow's flight can be slightly manipulated by such things as wind and gravity. Likewise, I believe extreme gravity can warp time, though I'm not sure how.

5. To which aspects of Time are you the most sensitive ? Please explain when, how, and why.

5.a - rythm ?

5.b - instants ?

5.c - events ?

5.d - encounters ?

5.e - choices and decisions ?

5.f - irreversibility ?

5.g - newness and evolution ?

5.h - continuity and duration ?

5.i - decay ?

5.j - the coming of death ?

5.k - other

6. Do you feel Time to be more like

6.a - a straight or curved infinite line ?

6.b - a closed line, like for instance a circle ?

6.c - a spiral ?

6.d - a forest of frequencies ?

6.e - an ever forking shape, like for instance a tree ?

6.f - a piling of geological layers ?

6.g - accumulated dust under your bed ?

6.h - dirty plates in the corner of your sink ?

6.i - other

a - A staight or curved line, though not necessarily infinite.

F - Measuring Time

1. What is the meaning of the clock as regards the conception of time ?

An arbitrary means of dividing time up into measurable segments.

2. If there were no more clocks, would it still be possible to mesure time nevertheless ?

2.a. If yes, in which way ?

Yes, through movement.

3. Are you aware of special or rare means of measuring time ?

No.

3.a. Which one(s) would you recommand or like to use yourself ?

G - Digging into common expressions

1. What does the sentence "I am wasting my time" mean to you ?

I am doing something worthless to me.

2. What are you thinking about the term "timebomb" ?

An oject that explodes at a prescribed time.

3. How can you disprove the best the following sentence : "Time is money" ?

Time is money only for those unfortunate souls that put such importance and value on money. For me time is life!

4. Could you make a list of strange time related expressions in your mother language ?

In English we often talk about "saving time". This is nonsense when you think about it. You can never save time, you can only spend it.

5. Can you provide explanations about these expressions ?

6. Are such expressions of any help as regards building your own concept of Time ?

No.

H - Psychological and sociological aspects

1. Where is the place of the subject within Time ?

2. What can you tell about differences regarding the meaning of Time within different cultures ?

3. Where are the positive and/or negative aspects within these differences ?

4. Do you think animals have a comprehension of Time ?

4.a. If yes, how does it look like ?

4.b. If not, why not ?

I - The Time of waste

1. What percentage of your Time do you think you are usually wasting ?

2. What sort of means do you use to waste your Time ?

3. What are the most frequent rationale you use as a pretext for wasting your Time ?

J - The Time of creativity

1. Does your perception of Time change when you are creative ?

If yes, in which way ? Can you explain ?

2. How do you feel about the following :

"When hanging yourself to the tail of the calendar, you are not likely to reach the edge of time You'd rather climb on the shoulders of the instants" - Narayana Reddy

2.a. As a poet ?

2.b As an artist ?

3. How are choices and decisions happening in your creative work ?

4. What sort of influence do you have on such decision ?

K - The Time of dreams

1. Would you agree with the statement that "there is no Time in dreams" ?

2. Is Time transformed or altered in some way while you are dreaming ?

2.a. If yes, when and how ?

2.b.What would be your explanation ?

3. Is the sequence of events preserved in your dreams ?

4. Did you ever experience a reversed sequence of Time while dreaming ?

5. Did you ever experience Time traveling while dreaming ?

L - The Time of Love

1. Does your perception of Time change when you are in love ?

Can you explain ?

2. Is there any relationship between your perception of Time while you are engaged in your prefered creative activities and your feeling of time when you are in love ?

3. Does your perception of Time change when you are making love ?

Do you prefer to make love quickly or slowly or extremely slowly ?

When, how and why ?

4. Does your perception of Time change during an orgasm ?

M - Knowledge and Time

1. Can you explain what are the relationships between Time and Knowledge ?

2. Which <Token> come spontaneously to your mind when you are thinking about Time ?

Please replace <Token> by :

2.a. artists

2.b. poets

2.c. litterature and film authors

2.d. technologies

2.e. scientists

2.f. other

N - Time & Newness

1. Do you think anything new appeared/emerged since the beginning of the past century ?

1.a. if yes then what ?

1.b. if not, then why and how ?

2.Which recent or less recent events, trends, activities, conclusions, etc... appear new to you ?

3. Do you think the world is

3.a. determinist ?

3.b. random ?

3.c. both depending on the considered aspects ?

3.d. a graduation between pure determinism and pure chance ?

3.e. not according to such categorizations that only reflect our mind's way of working and have no real meaning as regards the nature of the world itself ?

4. Can you explain what are the relationships between Time and Newness ?

4.a. How do you explain that something new may appear ?

4.b. Do you think chance plays a role in the emergence of newness and how ?