Past, Present, And Future

Ok, I know this is a fish keeping website, but I thought about this and wondered what some of you might think about the past, present, and future. Some will roll their eyes moving on, others just gleam through it and then move on. Put someone here might enjoy this conversion as much as I have thought about it and writing this.

So here goes nothing. (Meant to be a pun on words.)

I have done my own observation and thought on past, present, and future. We all have a memory of the past whether it was years ago or just seconds ago. The future is coming toward us at any measurement of time then becomes the past. So what is the present? The present has to lay somewhere between the future and the past, so how do we quantify the present in time, now that becomes a more interesting question.

Take a person and a chair, as the person approaches the chair, the thought of setting in the chair is the future, but once this person sets in the chair the approach is now the past. Now one might quantify the present as how long the person sets in the chair until the moment the person gets up and does something else.

But let's go deeper, that is the person is having a conversion with another person about what they did in the past and what they plan to do in the future. Every word spoken between the two quickly becomes a past spoken word, yet one might quantify time by saying the present is sitting in the chair while having a conversation.

But is this really a true time quantifying of the present, setting in the chair having the conversion? No it is not, it is only a prescription of quantifying time of the present. We live, breath, eat, walk and all things we think and say are causal effects of our brain, or more precise the firing of synapses in our brain.

Once these synapses in our brain fires, then that action is the past. So the present for the brain only last long enough to fire off synapses. Quantifying the present with time as we are accustomed to based on moments and other measurements of time, is our only way of measuring the present as we experience it.

But is this really the present? Breaking down of the present based on our brains synapses firing thus becoming the past makes an interesting conversion. The past and the future can be quantified by said measurements if only in the planning stage of the future. But does the present truly exist at all?

OK I will do it first - LOL.

 

I took philosophy 101. In regards to time, it gets very interesting and confusing. Einstein said something along the lines of time being an illusion, one we can't escape, and that it is relative/subjective. It kind of makes sense. We all have different perceptions of time. On a related note, I recall that distance has been proven to be an illusion as well. I forgot how they proved it, but if you read about it, it's pretty crazy.

 

My brain hurts now thanks lol

 

My brain hurts now thanks lol

Ann it can give you a headache thinking about something that is as intangible as time, for it is only our perception of it that makes sense to us, eI a second, minute, hours so on and so forth. But we only perceive modern time through the devices humans have invented over the last odd 2000 years. Before this humans would use astrological time, such as the sun, the moon, stars, and weather. For instance the warming trend into spring from winter told ancient humans that soon it will be time to plant crops. So it does get hard to step out of our indoctrinated sense of time. But supposed humans leave the Earth and travel out of the solar system and beyond, at this point in human history, time could take on a whole different system of measurements. Probably a system of measuring time that you or I would not understand today.

See I told you this would be fun.. Now take a couple of aspirin lay down with a hot towel over your forehead...j/k
Thanks for the reply.

 

I took philosophy 101. In regards to time, it gets very interesting and confusing. Einstein said something along the lines of time being an illusion, one we can't escape, and that it is relative/subjective. It kind of makes sense. We all have different perceptions of time. On a related note, I recall that distance has been proven to be an illusion as well. I forgot how they proved it, but if you read about it, it's pretty crazy.

Interesting, never heard before about Einstein saying this.
Now when it comes to the intellectual / IQ scale, I am no where near Einstein's end, more like the other end with Barney Fife.

But I do enjoy watching youtube vids like Ted Talk.

 

The present is the only time that exists. You can remember the past and plan the future but you’re doing it all in the present. So time only exists in the present moment.

 

Time is an illusion. Everything is happening all at once. It is linear, complete, from beginning to end. Therefore, our actions are meaningless; our future plans hopeless. We have no autonomy. I also have no idea what I'm talking about.

 

The present is the only time that exists. You can remember the past and plan the future but you’re doing it all in the present. So time only exists in the present moment.

Only if you are willing to limit yourself to a linear consciousness.

 

I think Aristotle defines the present as the limit between the past and future. Which works for me, and is preferable to philosophizing about whether ZhuangzI is a sleeping butterfly or a waking man.

 

I think Aristotle defines the present as the limit between the past and future. Which works for me, and is preferable to philosophizing about whether ZhuangzI is a sleeping butterfly or a waking man.

So basically between negative infinity and infinity. This Aristotle guy sounds like he's dodging the question

 

So basically between negative infinity and infinity. This Aristotle guy sounds like he's dodging the question

He is known to be particularly Peripatetic.

 

The present is the only time that exists. You can remember the past and plan the future but you’re doing it all in the present. So time only exists in the present moment.

I can understand why you say this, but as I said in the start of this thread, you are measuring your present with your perception of time. Can you plan your future in the time it takes to blink an eye?