A Matter of Time

The Time Is Now

Related quote goes here. Said Who

Of these three divisions of time [past, present, and future], then how can two, the past and the future, be, when the past no longer is and the future is not yet? As for the present, if it were always present and never moved on to become the past, it would not be time but eternity. If, therefore, the present time is time only by reason of the fact that it moves on to become the past, how can we say that even the present is, when the reason why it is that it is not to be? In other words, we cannot rightly say that time is, except by reason of its impending state of not being. – St. Augustine; The Confessions, Book XI

The word ‘now’ is often used to denote the present. It also implies that whatever is being referred to in the “now” can be seen or experienced by the person doing the referring. Since the word ‘now’ is such a commonly accepted word, why is it that when you look below the surface, there is still so much controversy and misunderstanding surrounding the word? Even St. Augustine, after giving such detailed accounts of what his contemplative efforts led him to believe the nature of time was, said “I know well enough what time is, provided that nobody asks me.” The question of whether time is even real, and if it is, how to define it, is a question that has not yet been settled.

It is often argued that the present does not even exist, because by the time an instant is experienced or thought about, it is already over. Therefore everything is either past or future. This is the question of the “now.” According to this theory, whenever things are changing, the present becomes the past as soon as it has happened, and whatever is happening at the present moment is the only “now” that exists; everything that has already happened is no longer real. And if the past is the keeper of change, and the past is no longer real, then nothing is changing.  If nothing is changing, then time is not passing and so it no longer exists. St. Augustine’s opinion that the present is merely a “knife-edge” between the past and future, and that it is incapable of containing any duration of time, illustrates this view. Any possibility for time travel is essentially erased, because if the past and future do not exist, then there is no possible way to get there.

Other arguments advocate that the present is the only thing that exists. This is the presentist standpoint, that the past cannot be real, because having already happened it is no longer accessible and therefore no longer a part of reality. The future, as well, is not real, for if it were real it would be unchangeable, but in reality no one knows what the future is going to bring. In opposition to Saint Augustine’s knife-edge theory are Buddhists of the Indian tradition. Stcherbatsky, a scholar of Buddhist philosophy, explains that according to their presentist ideas, "Everything past is unreal, everything future is unreal, everything imagined, absent, or mental is unreal. Ultimately real is only the present moment of physical efficiency.”

If the present does exist, the question then becomes “How long does it last?” The idea that it is extended, and not already in the past before a person realizes it, gives rise to the modern idea of a “fourth dimension” of time where people at different locations can possibly disagree about whether or not two events occurred at the same time. This view of time, commonly known as the eternalist perspective, is essentially synonymous with the “Block Universe” view, which gets most of its support from physicists. Unlike the common man’s idea that the past is gone and the future is yet to come, the Block Universe theory does not include a flow or passing of time, but rather insinuates that all events are equally happening all the time. It is similar to looking at time as if it were a painting, seeing dinosaurs, the Renaissance, and cell phones all in the same picture.

Such theories, though they might seem to be irrelevant in terms of a person’s every day life, actually hold within them vast consequence. If the Block Universe theory were to be the globally accepted truth, that would mean that each individual would still exist after death, making any fear of death completely irrational. Such thoughts would drastically affect the standing of religion, invariably causing unpredictable change in world dynamics.

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