What Is Time?

Attempting to understand the nature of time has always been a prime occupation for philosophers. There are widely divergent views about its meaning, hence it is difficult to provide an uncontroversial and clear definition of the nature of time.

What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.
Augustine of Hippo

What is time?

"time" is merely motion.........the movement of matter through space.

Time comes from change, but why things change ? I think thats because at the most basic level, things exist as a superposition of many possibilities, like in quantum physics, and when we interact with this superposition, we experience a determined possibility( by collapsing the wavefunction), making that happen. When we see that happening, we experience change, and from change time come. Anyway, I think time depends on our consciousness, I´m very inclined to believe it can´t exist without our perception of it.

Yes, yes, yes, yes,..........I was too tired to type that.....

Time is space. Asking what is time is like asking what is up and down. I think the hidden question is; what is the past, present & future? This is, in my opinion, just an allusion. There is no past or future just now and now always changes. Like Evil Dead said " "time" is merely motion.........the movement of matter through space.". I would also add, "energy" to this statement.

Time is a manmade creation. A recording of change.

Originally posted by Oswald Kenobi
Time is a manmade creation. A recording of change.

Time is thought.

Originally posted by Wonderer
Time is thought.

I'm not sure time is thought.....thought exists outside of time, but can function in our perception of time......It's our bodies that exist in linear time.

Originally posted by George Carlin
There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past.

Do we have time to talk about this?

If you are 1 dimensional; you can only be forward or back in space.
If you are 2 dimensional; you can only be forward or back and left or right in space.
If you are 3 dimensional; you can only be forward or back and left or right and up or down in space.
If you are 4 dimensional; you can move through space.

So, time is what allows us the space to move in a 3 dimensional world. Therefore, time is space.

well I don't believe that 4 dimensional stuff but that's me

To me Time is something man invented. a way to measure movement or change. But in itself Time does not exist. The cave men didn't have time didn't seem to annoy them very much.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Do we have time to talk about this?

So, time is what allows us the space to move in a 3 dimensional world. Therefore, time is space.

Time and Space continuum... 😄 .....

I think it has to do with dimensions too....

I don't like time...always need more....don't even wear a watch....

Now time might be the 4th dimension. But just time as we use it, with minutes, seconds and hours. Then what is that time

Originally posted by Fire
Now time might be the 4th dimension. But just time as we use it, with minutes, seconds and hours. Then what is that time

I think you are a talking about the rate of change. Cause and effect happens simultaneously, but the effect waits to become manifest. Depending upon the cause, the relationship between cause and effect are dilated. This dilation creates a consistent relationship between cause and effect. Cause always comes first and then effect. Retro causality is mathematically possible but has never been observed in nature. This relationship gives us the sense of time.

good point. but then why do we feel the urge almost the necesity to measure that time

Originally posted by Fire
Now time might be the 4th dimension. But just time as we use it, with minutes, seconds and hours. Then what is that time

It is that time we are talking about. That time is the 4th dimension, its how it is in physics... you know... a dimension don´t need to be space necessarily.

I liked that tought about cause and effect, maybe they are the same thing, but in someway our limited perception couldn´t see it, so we see they separated, if they are separated they happen in different moments, creating the ilusion of time. You know if cause and effect happen at the same "time", is the same to say that time don´t exist, there would be no way to measure it. A second would always begin when it ends, so we couldn´t measure it.

Originally posted by Atlantis001
It is that time we are talking about. That time is the 4th dimension, its how it is in physics... you know... a dimension don´t need to be space necessarily.

I liked that tought about cause and effect, maybe they are the same thing, but in someway our limited perception couldn´t see it, so we see they separated, if they are separated they happen in different moments, creating the ilusion of time. You know if cause and effect happen at the same "time", is the same to say that time don´t exist, there would be no way to measure it. A second would always begin when it ends, so we couldn´t measure it.

There would be no room for something to happen. Remember, two objects can not exist in the same place at the same time.

Yup... there would be no room, but two objects can not exist at the same place and time, because our perpeption would be limited in my perpective. If cause and effect happen at the same point, this rule is not valid anymore. What I find cool is that there are frames of reference in relativity which cause and effect happen simultaneusly.

..^^ Could you list any sites....It would be interesting to read