Search FQXi


Current Essay Contest


Previous Contests

What's Ultimately Possible in Physics?
Special Thanks to Bruce & Astrid McWilliams
read/discusswinners

The Nature of Time
read/discusswinners

Forum Home
Introduction
Terms of Use

Order posts by:
 chronological order
 most recent first

Posts by the author are highlighted in orange; posts by FQXi Members are highlighted in blue.

By using the FQXi Forum, you acknowledge reading and agree to abide by the Terms of Use

 RSS feed | RSS help
FQXi FORUM
February 9, 2012

CATEGORY: The Nature of Time Essay Contest [back]
TOPIC: The rediscovery of time through its disappearance by Alexis de Saint-Ours [refresh]
Bookmark and Share

Alexis de Saint-Ours wrote on Dec. 2, 2008 @ 14:41 GMT
Essay Abstract

There is many misunderstandings within the relationship between time and becoming. It is common to say that things become in time but also that time flows. Is time the unchanging scene of what changes or the essence of becoming ? With the concept of background independence, General Relativity has changed our understanding of space and time. Space and time can not anymore be considered as the passive containers of localisation and becoming. What are the foundational significance and epistemological impact of background independence ? We uphold that it has changed and clarified the long-standing debate between time and becoming, but also that it gives an a posteriori answer to Bergson’s criticism of time in physics. Time has often appeared as something less concrete and more immaterial than becoming. In this perspective, time has been understood as the structure of becoming or the concept whose content is change. The disappearance of the time coordinate and the relational understanding of evolution in General Relativity and a fortiori in Quantum Gravity, modify and reconfigure this traditional relation between time and becoming.

Author Bio

I am teaching assistant and associate researcher at the University of Paris 8. My work concerns philosophy of modern and contemporary physics, philosophy of time and the philosophical status of diagrams in mathematics and physics. My doctorate, which I will defend early next year, is about “Time and Relation in Relativity and Quantum Gravity”.

Download Essay PDF File

report post as inappropriate


F. Le Rouge wrote on Dec. 6, 2008 @ 10:30 GMT
General Relativity is a Theory coming from music, not light (and Einstein makes comparisons with organ pipes). Sound wave gives the illusion that Time is not only conventional.

In my opinion, fight of Bergson against Descartes Empiricism is unfinished, not so far away from Descartes that Bergson himself does believe he is.

(May be you will notice than in today Anglo-Saxon culture -and Asian culture- Time cannot be really questioned, that even those who want to forget it, aware that Superstring theory for instance is pure ideology, keep the Time as a convention although.)

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


T H Ray wrote on Dec. 14, 2008 @ 09:52 GMT
Alexis,

Excellent essay. However, I do take issue with a key conclusion--you write: "The disappearance of time at the Planck scale has to be understood as the absence of a time-frame but more radically as the absence of a time-order. How then is one supposed to understand evolution at the Planck level ? Obviously, things evolve but they don’t evolve in time : there is change without time, i.e pure change."

Time doesn't disappear at the Planck scale, no more than measure disappears at measure zero. There is, moreover, physical meaning in evolution punctuated by discontinuous jumps. In biological evolution (Gould-Eldredge) punctuated equilibrium informs us that "stasis is data." In the evolution of particle life, a change in energy level is differentiated from stasis as a subset of the evolutionary process and not in opposition to it.

Tom

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


Narendra Nath wrote on Dec. 21, 2008 @ 09:28 GMT
Dear Alexis,

Interesting evolution of thoughts and becoming, are not both these a part of human 'awareness'. When does any human become aware of oneself, right from conception in the womb or before formal birth or after sometime later! before a child starts speaking he is definitely aware of things around. If we tie 'awareness' with 'consciousness' and say that the latter has got several...

view entire post


report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


matthew kolasinski wrote on Dec. 27, 2008 @ 07:06 GMT
Hello Alexis,

i very much enjoyed reading your essay. it helped to clarify issues i'd been looking at regarding the perception of time in physics. i particularly appreciated the observations from Whitehead. i've read a little of his work, but hadn't yet encountered what you presented here.

your paper helped deepen my understanding of Relativity. thank you.

your paper also helped me to better understand Carlo Rovelli's paper here. thank you for that also.

i have a slight disagreement with the physics in spite of how lovely it is, but that doesn't appear to actually be so much an argument with your work and will save those comments for Carlo.

a continuing conceptual evolutionary process...

thanks again,

matt kolasinski

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


Alexis de Saint-Ours wrote on Jan. 1, 2009 @ 20:12 GMT
Dear François-Xavier, Tom, Narendra and Matthew,

Thank you for your comments. In writing this essay one of my goal was the following. I have tried to show that the fact that the time-coordinate in GR has no physical significance and the relational understanding of evolution in GR that follows, both clarify in physics the relations between change and time. Moreover, I believe that Carlo Rovelli’s ideas on time are not, as it has been very often claimed, the one of a Parmenidean. To the contrary.

The main dynamical equation of Canonical Quantum Gravity is an equation that does not factor evolution in time. This characteristic has led Julian Barbour to claim that at a fundamental level, reality is of a Parmenidean nature. Julian Barbour argues that the Wheeler-DeWitt equation pictures a timeless and changeless world "and simply gives relative probabilities for all the different possible three-dimensional configurations the universe could have".

Physicists like Karel Kuchaø have vigorously denied such theories and argued in favour of the Heraclitean nature of reality: "I do not want to see things evolving. I see things evolving, and I want to explain why I see them evolving."

Karel Kuchaø’s claim is Heraclitean only on the surface since there is nothing Bergsonian or Heraclitean in trying to understand evolution by referring it to a variable t.

The fact that the time-coordinate in GR has no physical significance, the relational understanding of evolution in GR that follows, and the emergence of time in Loop Quantum Gravity from a timeless level are truly Bergsonian since for the French philosopher, time or duration’s main attribute is change.

All the very best,

Alexis

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


F. Le Rouge wrote on Jan. 3, 2009 @ 14:38 GMT
- You are true to say that Rovelli is the opposite of Parmenide and I demonstrate in my own essay that Einstein is 1/Zeno of Elea.

- As I am stating on Dr Rovelli's forum, criticizing a post he wrote himself on December 12, C.R. is not understanding Aristotle's Physics at all.

- Coming back to Bergson, the problem is that he wants to give consistancy with his duration to something -Time- that has no. Fighting against Descartes, Bergson is himself catched in Algebraic web.

- Max Planck himself, due to his rather concrete approach, was not 'happy' to use Boltzmann's Algebra that splits Matter artificially. So it is more logic to see in Pythagora or Descartes, or in AEinstein the Fathers of 'Quanta' than in M. Planck or N. Bohr.

report post as inappropriate

rapidshare download replied on Oct. 3, 2010 @ 15:36 GMT
you so much for your essay,Alex! It's very cognitive and carries very informative and interesting cases.I completly agree with your statement that reality of life changes our perception of space and time! You are quit right that time is more immatirial than becoming! In abstract ( which I found out at torrent search engine rapidshare download

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


Narendra Nath wrote on Jan. 19, 2009 @ 07:20 GMT
Dear Alex,

Sorry to miss any specific rejoinder to my comments on Dec., 21 posting.Bit by bit discussion may well lead us to conclusions that may not hold for long. Discussing gravity only in the context of black holes and introducing its quantum aspect on that basis, is not the entire story of the role the Gravity played in the evolutionn of the Universe. That is why we are facing difficulty with its unision into a single Unified Field!

report post as inappropriate

rapidshare download replied on Oct. 3, 2010 @ 15:34 GMT
t 'happy' to use Boltzmann's Algebra that splits Matter artificially. So it is more logic to see in Pythagora or Descartes, or in AEinstein the Fathers of 'Quanta' than in M. Planck or N. Bohr. http://www.legendarydevils.com

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


Alexis wrote on Jan. 27, 2009 @ 22:06 GMT
I am sorry but I don’t really understand what you mean when you say that Bergson is caught in algebraic web. Moreover, I totally share Carlo Rovelli’s views on Aristotle’s physics

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


Jeniffer wrote on Dec. 28, 2009 @ 13:46 GMT
Thank you so much for your essay,Alex! It's very cognitive and carries very informative and interesting cases.I completly agree with your statement that reality of life changes our perception of space and time! You are quit right that time is more immatirial than becoming! In abstract ( which I found out at torrent search engine http://www.picktorrent.com ) Jimmy Wales affirmed that Time is a component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects. I uphold his opinion! What do you think about his assertion?

I'm waiting for your reply!

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


James wrote on Mar. 10, 2010 @ 08:32 GMT
Bit by bit discussion may well lead us to conclusions that may not hold for long. Similar beliefs ( http://www.rapidslot.com ) on an article i found there. Discussing gravity only in the context of black holes and introducing its quantum aspect on that basis, is not the entire story of the role the Gravity played in the evolutionn of the Universe. That is why we are facing difficulty with its unision into a single Unified Field!

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


Anonymous wrote on Mar. 10, 2010 @ 08:33 GMT
Bit by bit discussion may well lead us to conclusions that may not hold for long. Similar beliefs ( [url=http://www.rapidslot.com]http://www.rapidsloth.com[/url
] ) on an article i found there. Discussing gravity only in the context of black holes and introducing its quantum aspect on that basis, is not the entire story of the role the Gravity played in the evolutionn of the Universe. That is why we are facing difficulty with its unision into a single Unified Field!

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


rapidshare download wrote on Sep. 29, 2010 @ 15:43 GMT
Similar beliefs ( http://www.rapidslot.com ) on an article i found there. Discussing gravity only in the context of black holes and introducing its quantum aspect on that basis, is not the entire story of the role the Gravity played in the evolutionn of the Universe. http://www.freshdls.com

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


rapid share download wrote on Oct. 5, 2010 @ 18:58 GMT
quantum aspect on that basis, is not the entire story of the role the Gravity played in the evolutionn of the Universe. That is why we are facing difficulty with its unision into a single Unified Field! rapidshare download

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


smowsMymn wrote on Nov. 14, 2011 @ 08:33 GMT
[url=http://www.cheapuggsbootsshop.com/]cheap uggs[/url] built his or her first look australia wide, backside within nineteenth hundred years. Quite simply, they initiated existence to be a unattractive nevertheless perfectly wrinkles better kick out in which utilized a real wool filler, together with a ring connected with down in the top to make perfectly sure that this wearer's legs stayed hot there is essentially the most stormy from conditions. Story comes with that who [url=http://www.cheapuggsbootsshop.com/]uggs outlet[/url] obtained ones own title mainly because most people known him or her as "ugg,Inches a jargon name designed for awful. Typically the identify caught on with virtually precisely the same love because Ugg boot start by themself, and the item has always been as small as your time period.

UGG boots have a very as an alternative illustrious the past. Throughout Ww 1, [url=http://www.cheapuggsbootsshop.com/]ugg boots on sale[/url] were given that special handle for FUGG boots (or maybe traveling by air UGG boots) and happen to be distressed with jet pilots to maintain their ft warm at the high-flying altitudes. A number of aviators required the [url=http://www.cheapuggsbootsshop.com/]www.cheapuggsbootssh
op.com[/url] family home along, because of this in which because of the 1930's plenty of a real cultivator across Projects probably would not visualize seeking to give good results without having a couple of Uggs boots handy.



http://forums.mxtrax.co.uk/member.php?u=225747

http://www.man
ic-motorz.com/forum/member.php?49873-Icesspoorgo

http://www.b
almainrugby.com/forums/member.php?u=163464

http://perisaidiri
demak.org/index.php?option=com_phocaguestbook&view=phocagues
tbook&id=1&Itemid=53%2BResult:%2Bchosen%2Bnickname%2B%2522Ma
ctMeerbhant%2522;%2Bcaptcha%2Brecognized;%2Bsuccess%2B-%2Bpo
sted%2Bto%2Bfirst%2Bencountered%2Bpartition%2B%2522/index.ph
p?option=com_phocaguestbook&view=phocaguestbook&id=1&Itemid=
53%2522;

http:

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


ugg boots discount wrote on Nov. 29, 2011 @ 19:05 GMT
Ugg Boots On Sale are popular since a long time ago. They are not only a way to keep your feet from cold weather with less money, but also they are also a perfect symbol to present your social status and identity. This makes people keep coming back to buy more and more[url=http://www.scuggboots.com/]Ugg Boots Discount[/url]. Ugg boots are provided in more and more online shop in different styles and designs as[url=http://www.scuggboots.com/]Ugg Boots Clearance[/url],[url=http://www.scuggboots.com/]UGG Classic Short[/url]. They will show woman's chic and self-confidence. And they share the same quality with other Ugg boots. They are very durable and comfortable, too. This is an important reason that women consider to buy ugg boots on sale.

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


uggs boots cheap wrote on Nov. 29, 2011 @ 19:11 GMT
Welcome to our[url=http://www.uggsbootscheaponsale.com/]UGG Boots Cheap[/url]Sale online store. We offer a wide variety of[url=http://www.uggsbootscheaponsale.com/]Uggs boots on sale[/url]. This includes casual[url=http://www.uggsbootscheaponsale.com/]Ugg Cheap Sale[/url]shoes like sneakers, casual boots, knit boots, crocs, sandals and much more. All UGG boots are High Quality, with 40%-70% OFF. And, we also provide fast free shipping to our customers, so you will not worry about your shipping fare. Want to own fashion and comfortable to buy cheap ugg boots.

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


australia uggs outlet wrote on Nov. 29, 2011 @ 19:11 GMT
Welcome to the shopping paradise for[url=http://www.australiauggsbootsoutlet.com/]Australia Uggs Boots[/url]. As a famous brand, UGG boots will provide the most complete protection in the cold winter for those who like outdoor sports. The price is low on our[url=http://www.australiauggsbootsoutlet.com/]Uggs Boots Outlet[/url]store. All[url=http://www.australiauggsbootsoutlet.com/]Australia Uggs Outlet[/url]is warm and comfortable in our ugg boots online store. Welcome to buy a pair of cheap and fashion discount UGG Boots, there will be much surprise for you. Don't miss it!

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


cheapest womens handbags wrote on Nov. 29, 2011 @ 19:12 GMT
http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com

If our wide selection and affordable handbags are not enough, [b][url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com]cheapest womens handbags[/url][/b] store is backed by a passionate team who genuinely cares about every single customer and visitor to our website. It is our team's goal to win a customer for life during each interaction. This starts with our easy to use website and extends into packaging, shipping, and answering any questions that may arise once you place your order. We offer you fashion accessories such as [b][url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com]womens handbags outlet[/url][/b], [b][url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com]discount handbags outlet[/url][/b], [b][url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com]cheap handbags outlet[/url][/b]. When you purchase a handbag– you are in excellent hands![url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/chanel-c-
1.html]Chanel[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/coach-c-2.html]
Coach[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/dior-c-3.html]D
ior[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/ed-hardy-c-4.ht
ml]Ed Hardy[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/ferragamo-c-5.h
tml]Gucci Mens[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/gucci-women-c-6
.html]Gucci Women[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/gucci-c-7.html]
Hermes[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/juicy-c-8.html]
JUICY[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/louis-vuitton-c
-9.html]Louis Vuitton[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/mulberry-c-10.h
tml]Mulberry[/url] [url=http://www.cheapest-handbags-outlet.com/prada-c-11.html
]Prada[/url]

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


Cheap Evening Handbags wrote on Nov. 29, 2011 @ 19:12 GMT
http://cheap-evening-handbags.com

Welcome to [b][url=http://cheap-evening-handbags.com/]Cheap Evening Handbags[/url][/b] store, where you can indulge yourself in the latest handbags, trendy purses and more! Our quality handbags are hand selected to offer high quality without the high price tag, so getting the hottest looks has never been easier. Whether you are looking for the perfect [b][url=http://cheap-evening-handbags.com/]cheap womens handbags[/url][/b] or a slim and sexy clutch [b][url=http://cheap-evening-handbags.com/]womens evening handbags[/url][/b], we have exactly the handbags you are looking for at affordable prices. We also offer you [b][url=http://cheap-evening-handbags.com/]discount evening handbags[/url][/b]!

[url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.co
m/chanel-handbagbag-c-2.html]Chanel HandBag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/coach-handbagbag-
c-3.html]Coach Handbag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/dior-handbagbag-c
-4.html]Dior Handbag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/ferragamo-c-5.htm
l]Ed Hardy[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/gucci-mens-handba
gbag-c-6.html]Gucci Mens Handbag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/gucci-c-7.html]Gu
cci Women Handbag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/hermes-handbagbag
-c-8.html]Hermes Handbag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/juicy-handbagbag-
c-9.html]JUICY Handbag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/lv-handbagbag-c-1
0.html]LV Handbag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/mulberry-handbagb
ag-c-11.html]Mulberry Handbag&Bag[/url] [url=http://www.cheap-evening-handbags.com/jimmy-choo-c-12.h
tml]Prada Handbag&Bag[/url]

report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


uggs boots on sale wrote on Nov. 29, 2011 @ 19:21 GMT
http://www.uggsbootscheaponsale.com

Welcome to our [b][url=http://www.uggsbootscheaponsale.com]UGG Boots Cheap[/url][/b] Sale online store. We offer a wide variety of[b][url=http://www.uggsbootscheaponsale.com]Uggs boots on sale[/url][/b] . This includes casual [b][url=http://www.uggsbootscheaponsale.com]Ugg Cheap Sale[/url][/b] shoes like sneakers, casual boots, knit boots, crocs, sandals...

view entire post


report post as inappropriate

reply to this thread


Add a New Post
  • Please enter the text of your post, then click the "Submit New Post" button below. You may also optionally add file attachments below before submitting your edits.

  • HTML tags are not permitted in posts, and will automatically be stripped out. Links to other web sites are permitted. For instructions on how to add links, please read the link help page.

  • You may use superscript (10100) and subscript (A2) using [sup]...[/sup] and [sub]...[/sub] tags.

  • You may also include LateX equations into your post.

Insert LaTeX Equation [hide]

LaTeX equations may be displayed in FQXi Forum posts by including them within [equation]...[/equation] tags. You may type your equation directly into your post, or use the LaTeX Equation Preview feature below to see how your equation will render (this is recommended).

For more help on LaTeX, please see the LaTeX Project Home Page.

LaTeX Equation Preview



preview equation
clear equation
insert equation into post at cursor


Your name: (optional)



Important: In order to combat spam, please select the letter in this menu between 'I' and 'K':





Please enter your e-mail address: