Evolution is the continuing creative exploration in a pool of ever-changing possibility. Any cumulative process of transformation requires time. But how is it that ‘time’ is understood?
The concept of time has been a topic of intrigue and debate among philosophers, scientists, and spiritual scholars for millenia. Time plays a pivotal role in areas of interest such as physics, ethics, epistemology, psychology, metaphysics, and ecology to name but a few. The laws of physics governing our descriptions of universal behavior are often expressed using time-dependent formulas. The Schrodinger equation, for instance, defines the evolution of quantum systems in terms of time. However, other equations in classical mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and quantum theory are time-symmetry meaning they are valid if time proceeds forwards or backwards.
Three common philosophical theories of time are presentism, eternalism, and growing-past theory. Presentism, as the name implies, posits that only the present moment is real. Eternalism, on the other hand, proposes that all moments in time exist simultaneously. Some people argue that this is consistent with Einstein’s 3 +1 understanding of relativity and space-time. The growing-past theory holds that the past and present are real while the future is not.
This leads to many questions;
Is there an arrow of time?
Does time pass or flow?
Can time exist when nothing changes?
Can an instant have zero duration and still have another instant?
Is there a moment without an earlier moment?
