Different philosophers, authors, scientists and physicists have varying perceptions of time thus leads us to the question, “What really is Time?”
Bergson (1990) contests the idea about time which is “not measurable”. He believes that time is not what observe on our day to day life, like the ticking of the clock, the changing of hours to days, the beating of our hearts and so as everything else in space. Bergson’s idea contradicts to the conventional notions of time as imposed by Einstein and other physicists. Furthermore, Bergson (1990) added that real time is the experience of a continually occurring event as perceived by an individual. Its indefinite and immeasurable occurrence due to the fact that time cannot be interrupted or categorized into sub domains. He proposed that time moves in one direction – from past to present to future. We have a glimpse of our future because we perceive it as a product of our current actions. On the other hand, having experienced the past and the present, we achieve absolute certainty. For example, if you are a computer science student, you perceive yourself as programmer in the future, but you can’t change the fact that once in your life, you were a computer science student; we cannot change our past, but we can shape our future. He stated in the same year that the memory in between the past and the present is vital in determining the order of interconnecting events. Without such, one can never find a link between the two different instances. For example, the missing link between the theory of man’s evolution from apes to Homo sapiens can never be proven since there is no existing memory that justifies what really happened.
We also measure time but how do we measure it. According to Parkey, Encyclopedia (2008), what scientists use to measure the length of a day is the Earth’s rotation on its own axis. Time, is also determined based on the rotation of the Earth, but as Earth rotates, it uses the similar motion of the “fixed” stars across the sky. On the other hand. Emerson (2009) quoted Einstein’s idea of time being relative that “if a person from Earth were to travel in outer space at a speed close to the speed of light (about 300,000 km per second or about 186,000 mi per second), that the person could return to Earth towards of years into Earth’s future”, which is actually based on Einstein’s idea of time being relative to the speed the observer is travelling. The example of Emerson is to tell us that the faster your speed is, the slower your age goes or that speed is inversely proportional to time. Such observers were made due to the fact that it is impossible for us to observe time equally on different places in spaces.
Other than varying definitions of time, different people also have different methods or concepts in measuring time.
According to Encarta, there are three different ways in measuring time. One is the “division of Earth’s sphere into 24 equal time zones.” This method determines the “Standard Time.” It is the time in which most of us is familiar with since it is what we use in our daily life. Another method is “using the orbit of Earth around the sun, as well as the orbital motions of the moon and other planets.” It determines the “Dynamical Time.” Lastly is based on the “Frequency of electromagnetic waves that are emitted or absorbed by certain atoms or molecules under particular conditions.” This method of measuring time is used to determine the “Atomic Time” which is the most precise method (Encarta).
There's an example in how other people perceive time. In Thomas Mann’s novel entitled “Magic Mountain”, he being the author showed his “deep understanding of life.” The novel also included deep explanations regarding “illness, religion, world view, life, death” and their accordance with time. Doing the same thing everyday makes a place boring. The said statement shows how Joaquim, a person with discomfort, perceives time. Later in his life, his cousin Hanz Castorp, the main character in Magic Mountain has visited him in the sanatorium. Joaquim, being bored of his daily routine, treated Hanz’ visit as a “break in the everlasting monotony of his place.” But this so called “break” only lasted for seven years and Hanz has to go, showing how time “comes, remains, and leaves” as stated in Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain. Hanz who visited his cousin Joaquim at the sanatorium said that time must fly by so fast living in the sanatorium but Joaquim contested, “you can’t call it time and you can’t call it living either.” (page) Time for Hanz when he first set foot in the sanatorium seemed fast. Hanz does not know the people in the sanatorium yet. As he made himself adjust with the new place, he realizes that time runs slowly as opposed to what he had said earlier. But soon enough when he interacts to them and discovers new things about them, he will realize that time is nothing because he is having fun in the sanatorium (Mann, n.d). Joaquim asked Hanz how long his visit in the sanatorium, “Three weeks” Hanz answered. “Joaquim laughs at the word “three weeks” uttered by Hanz. He laughed because maybe for Hanz, three week is very long and probably he’s on his way back home in his mind. But to Joaquim and to the people in the sanatorium, three weeks is nothing at all because they are already used to how their lives go in the sanatorium. Hanz raises series of questions to Joaquim regarding the different possible aspects of measuring time besides space, like distance and perception. Hanz explains to his cousin the concept of Emerson on time as continuous and discontinuous cycle. Hanz further clarifies Emerson’s idea by explaining time being continuous us an assumption/agreement to support the basis of measuring time, despite the fact that time is discontinuous.
Time has varied definition among people and as implied by the different authors, writers, philosophers, physicists, time is indeed relative, not measurable and definite.
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