1# Time 2 3## Presentism 4 5- The present time exists exclusively with its objects 6- There are no non-present objects 7- Past & future are human constructs 8- Memories etc are representations of the past in the present 9 10 11<pre>past present future 12---------|---------- 13-->-->-->-->-->-->-></pre> 14 15## Eternalism 16 17- Fourth dimension 18- Distant times in past and future exist, like distant places 19- Past, present and future are equally real 20 21## Philosophers' Perspectives 22 23### Aristotle 24- we measure time as the "interval between two nows" 25- time $\propto$ change 26- subjective 27 28### Nietzsche 29- Time repeats infinitely in the exact same sequence 30- "Love your fate" 31 32### Augustine 33- Linking Aristotelian philosophy (infinitesimal yet eternal present) to God (always present) 34- Anything that lasts for a finite time comes from God, yet God is an eternal now 35- Also considered afterlife / multiple phases of time 36- Time tends towards non-existence, because the past and future are the only times that can really exist, and the present is infinitesimal (the only definite time). 37- Yet, time could not exist in infinitesimally small pieces, which go out of existence instantaneously. 38- Hence, time is a function of human perception and memory. 39 40#### Response 41Each premise of the argument seems to appear reasonable, but it is merely meta-analysis - building upon the Aristotelian idea that the present is infinitesimal. Also, there is no proof that time could not exist in infinitesimally small pieces - persistent memory does not disprove this. Events could span multiple "slices" of time. The conclusion that time is an exclusively human construct does not follow from the premise that the present could not exist infinitesimally. 42 43### Borges 44- We think time is a sequence of unique moments, but they can be repeatedf 45- Time = sensations e.g. reading Shakespeare makes you Shakespeare 46- Finite number of variables, therefore time can repeat itself 47 48### Einstein 49- We cannot measure time without being external to it 50-1 s / s