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“Becoming” and the Asymmetries of Time

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

Yehudah Freundlich
Yehudah Freundlich*
Affiliation:
Tel-Aviv University
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Abstract

We consider the mind-dependence or independence of the “now,” of “becoming,” and of “time's arrow,” by considering the various senses in which these notions might be mind-dependent or not. These matters cannot be sensibly discussed without taking a stand regarding criteria of “reality.” Proceeding from a basically phenomenalist position we conclude that merely to differentiate between appearance and reality is implicitly to assume a directed flow of time. We discuss the relationship between phenomenological and physical time and their possible asymmetries. We find that physical time acquires meaning only through phenomenological time, and that phenomenological time is fundamentally asymmetric. This still leaves room for the question: Is there anything in physical time which reflects the fact that it, to be meaningful, must be applied asymmetrically? The relevance of relativity theory to this question is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 40 , Issue 4 , December 1973 , pp. 496 - 517
Copyright
Copyright © 1973 by The Philosophy of Science Association

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References

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