Thread: Is time an illusion?

Is not all time a unit of measurement?

To me, saying that time exists is like saying that the equator of the Earth exist.

I think that to we humans, time exists as a figment of our minds. To the universe, I believe that time cannot be applied.

I forgot about this thread. :/

Originally Posted by Original Poster

If it exists it all, it must be. This appears to be a basic postulate. I'm not really sure how to explain it, suffice to say that there's no possible way time could be limited. Granted. there's also no possible way time can exist at all.

If you don't know how to explain it you've given no reason why I should accept it. It seems you just think time must be infinite because you can't comprehend it not existing. Similar to how we can't comprehend ourselves not existing, which is obviously flawed thinking as we never existed before conception. There's no logical reason why time shouldn't end.

Originally Posted by Darkmatters

... Which brings up the question - if there is no movement in the universe, would time exist? Sort of a tree/sound question, only it actually makes more sense. Let's say all life has long since died and entropy has done it's thing and nothing is moving anymore. Probably a scientific impossibility, but this is a thought experiment. Nothing moves, and there's no living thing to measure the fact. Does time exist?

I wonder if it's even possible in this universe for nothing to move? Ok then, lets postulate a universe where nothing does move. Does time exist there?

This came to mind too after reading the first part of your post, and the idea sounds familiar. Perhaps time really is just the measurement of movement. That thought experiment seems to back up the claim that time is the measurement of movement. If everything stayed still, including our minds, there would be no use for the concept of time. However, maybe that's just because we'd have no way to measure it. Maybe time is a real thing, and ceasing all movement would just mean there was no way to measure it. Like how, if suddenly everything turned green, there would be no such thing as color... but would that mean that color no longer exists, or just that everything happens to be green so we can no longer comprehend a difference?

Originally Posted by SpaceCowboyDave

Is not all time a unit of measurement?

To me, saying that time exists is like saying that the equator of the Earth exist.

I think that to we humans, time exists as a figment of our minds. To the universe, I believe that time cannot be applied.

But aren't we still basing it on something? I'm sure other animals have concepts of time, yet they have no units of measurement. perhaps movement is the measurement... I guess the main question is whether time exists on its own and would exist apart from change, or if it's just the measurement of change itself. Is there any way we might ever know which it is?

Originally Posted by Dianeva

If everything stayed still, including our minds, there would be no use for the concept of time. However, maybe that's just because we'd have no way to measure it. Maybe time is a real thing, and ceasing all movement would just mean there was no way to measure it. Like how, if suddenly everything turned green, there would be no such thing as color... but would that mean that color no longer exists, or just that everything happens to be green so we can no longer comprehend a difference?

This made me smile and reminded me of a scene in one of my favorite books Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. This site replicates the scene I am thinking of: The Electric Monk

Originally Posted by JoannaB

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Oh! It's the guy who wrote Hitchiker's Guide!!

But back on topic - here's an article that does a pretty god job of explaining the idea of time being an illusion and then dispels it: Time Really Passes

Originally Posted by Dianeva

I've never been sure what people mean when they say that time is an illusion. I understand that units of time are illusions. Seconds, minutes and hours are concepts we've made up. But that seems so trivial it isn't worth mentioning, so I've always felt that something more than that is meant. ...

In eastern philosophy the illusion of time is pointed out by the fact that it is always now. All experience is created and experienced in the immediate moment, reborn again and again in all it's entirety out of nothing, now... and now... and now... and now... this includes the experience of concepts of time, like imagination of past and future, so now is not the result of a past, but the past is an experience that you have now.

I believe that the confusion about time comes from one important property of all experiences: change is the only constant. If something was not changing, it would not be experienceable in the same sense that if ALL your field of vision was green, you would not be able to perceive it, because it only exists in relation and contrast to something. Or in music, if there were one single tone only (i.e. no time/change) you would not be able to hear it, the perception comes from the intervals in rhythm and tones. So no change means no illusion of time, but also no experience and non-experience (or non-existence) is not an experience.

PS: glad I ended up between people who are interested in life and therefore ask relevant questions about it, instead of worrying and discussing dumb culture/mass-media/politics/fear-based concepts. Nice to read the interesting perspectives about what actually IS from all of you.

Originally Posted by Nelzi

In eastern philosophy the illusion of time is pointed out by the fact that it is always now. All experience is created and experienced in the immediate moment, reborn again and again in all it's entirety out of nothing, now... and now... and now... and now... this includes the experience of concepts of time, like imagination of past and future, so now is not the result of a past, but the past is an experience that you have now.

This is something I've thought of too. If it's always now, and the past only exists in memories, then time can't exist as a "thing", it's just a concept, which would mean it's an illusion. But at the same time, how can anything change if time isn't passing?