Define Time

We as humans, have a rather unique perspective on time. Because we have a linear existence, we tend to have a fairly simple grasp on past, present, and future.

However, if you were to make contact with a non-corporeal non-linear life form, and were asked to define time, how would you describe or define time? Remember, this lifeform has no knowledge of past, present or future. No understanding of preceding, or following. No concept of a unit of measurement in regard to time. Also remember, this lifeform is sentient. It has intelligence. It has only the basic means to communicate through a spoken language.

How would you define time?

I would say that time is simply another arbitrary measurement that we, as a species, are obsessed with.

Then I'd say "Hurry up, or the pub will close" before leaving as quickly as I could whilst shouting over my shoulder "Last one there gets the beer in"

It'd get the idea fairly quickly I think.

a reply to: Jonjonj

What is it a measurement of? Without an understanding of time, one wouldn't understand 'close' or 'hurry up'. So how would you emphasize the need to hurry?

a reply to: EternalSolace

A rather graphic demonstration of hurry up would be me belting down the street frantically waving it to follow me, wouldn't it?

Perhaps I could also grab it's non-corporeal arm just to hammer the point home.

If after all my travails bore no fruit, I would show it a cesium atom and ask it to count when the radioactive decay reaches 9,192,631,770.

And tell it that was a second.

I prefer the pub method.

I would begin to explain it based on that we have memories and some of our memories arent as good as others because they happened in the past. The really vivid and bright memories are things that have happened more recently. And that the future can be defined as a prediction.

"time" are the moments when we are further from understanding the moment, and our creator. These are the moments where we stand beside ourselves and ask questions, ponder, worry, stress.

Living in the moment, being at one with our creator, peace and joy, is timeless.

Essentially, time is only the moments where we lose focus on what we are doing. Staying out of focus makes time pass by slower. Think about points in outer space (planets, stars, black holes) and how gravity correlates to size and density of these points. EDIT: Think about how gravity influences time. Focus is another way of saying dense, centered, mass that is pulled in to a small point, under pressure. When we focus we accomplish things. We gravitate what we want, to us.

a reply to: EternalSolace

How about, "The Measurable State of Change between a Cause and Effect Event".

a reply to: EternalSolace

Time is not stable . For instance , Have you ever woken up after a big night out and no memory only to see your wife glaring at you . From that moment till she asks "do you remember what you did last night " in reality takes seconds but seems like hours . But that is short compared to the time it takes for her to actually tell you . In real earth time that can take months but seems a lot longer .

The manifestation of entropy? I don't know, I'm not a scientist, ha. Good question though. Maybe a demonstration of the orbit of our planet around our star, and the rotation of our planet and how it effects which side is exposed to light and how we break up those cycles into fractions would be a good way to explain how we mark the passage of time here on our planet.

originally posted by: mOjOm
a reply to: EternalSolace

How about, "The Measurable State of Change between a Cause and Effect Event".

Apparently it can't even understand close or hurry up so I am not sure that would fly.

Now here's a question I have never found a good answer to

You cannot explain time without involving words that assume an understanding of what time is.

So time it could be said is a measurement of the gap between things happening but then you need to define what the 'gap' is.

a reply to: EternalSolace

It has only the basic means to communicate through a spoken language.

the concept of time would be obvious to any inteligent entity that could be interacted with in the manner you claim

A series of cue cards in a box.

originally posted by: mOjOm
a reply to: EternalSolace

How about, "The Measurable State of Change between a Cause and Effect Event".

To a non-linear lifeform, I would think it would be hard to grasp that change. What comes before now or what is to come, is no different than now to them. An existence with out change perhaps?

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Would an entity with a non-linear existence be capable of perceiving time?

There's a quote, maybe someone can help find it, but it essentially says that humans are the only thing in the universe to define and life by something that absolutely does not exist.

Has humanities short existence caused us to limit ourselves in a fallacy?

a reply to: EternalSolace

Time is the fact that substance moves/can move.

a reply to: EternalSolace

using your paramaters - yes - heres how :

the key is your foundation :

It has only the basic means to communicate through a spoken language.

i play it 2 sound files :

1 - "a-flat // 3 second silence // a-flat // 3 second silence // a-flat // 3 second silence // a-flat "

2 - "a-flat // 8 second silence // a-flat // 8 second silence // a-flat // 8 second silence // a-flat "

question :

" how were they different " ?

if it undestands the question then an inteligent entity will beable to conceptulise time

PS - just my opinion - but a truely non linear entity would not be able to communicate throught a sopken language - so i believe your entire OP is plawed

a reply to: EternalSolace

Time is what prevent everything from happening all at once.

The rate of flow of time is proportional to the rate at which gravity changes over a curved surface of space.

Therefore the earth which gravity is constant over the surface of its sphere has constant flow of time at all points whether standing at the slow moving poles or at the fast moving equator.

originally posted by: EternalSolace

Would an entity with a non-linear existence be capable of perceiving time?

Yes. Non-linear progression is still a progression nonetheless, thus time still elapses for the entity.

but it essentially says that humans are the only thing in the universe to define and life by something that absolutely does not exist.

If you mean that only humans keep track of time, you are mistaking. Many animals such as groundhogs will eat alot in preparation for winter (which is a point in Time), so that they may hibernate, and they will wake up at spring. The cricadian clock:

The circadian clock, or circadian oscillator, in most living things makes it possible for organisms to coordinate their biology and behavior with daily and seasonal changes in the day-night cycle. (...) Evidence for a genetic basis of circadian rhythms in higher eukaryotes began with the discovery of the period ('per') locus in Drosophila melanogaster from forward genetic screens completed by Ron Konopka and Seymour Benzer in 1971.[8] Through the analysis of per circadian mutants and additional mutations on Drosophila clock genes, it was demonstrated that there is an underlying generative molecular mechanism of the circadian clock that consists of a set of core clock genes and their protein products, which together participate in positive and negative autoregulatory feedback loops of transcription and translation.

Unrelated to the circadian clock, the intelligence of some animals (such as parrots or crows) are other proofs that they too have a concept of Time - intelligence requires prediction of a result which hasn't happened yet, a result which is located forwards in Time.