Editors: Argyris Nicolaidis , Wolfgang Achtner

The Evolution of Time: Studies of Time in Science, Anthropology, Theology

eBook: US $59 Special Offer (PDF + Printed Copy): US $161
Printed Copy: US $131
Library License: US $236
ISBN: 978-1-60805 445-9 (Print)
ISBN: 978-1-60805-444-2 (Online)
Year of Publication: 2013
DOI: 10.2174/97816080544421130101

Introduction

Time - a fundamental component of human thought and experience - is quite enigmatic and elusive when it comes to defining it. In The Evolution of Time: Studies of Time in Science, Anthropology, Theology scholars from the fields of physics, mathematics, biology, neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and theology draw from their own field of knowledge and expertise and present their understanding of the time phenomenon. Time as a dynamic interplay of being and becoming, the different temporalities we encounter in nature, the human dimension of time, are all important issues presented and thoroughly analyzed in the e-book. The e-book has a manifest trans-disciplinary character and it is a suitable for readers interested in evolution, the dynamics of time and the complexity of our own conceptions of time.

Foreword

What is it time? While all of us experience time, while everything we realize takes place within time, we are found in a difficult position, as we are reminded by Saint Augustine, to describe what time is. The eventual appreciations of time vary considerably. For some people time is an illusion, or simply a useful parameterization of the events. For other people time is the only reality, the generator and provider of everything.

Eleven scholars met twice in 2007, in order to address this thorny issue of time. A variety of opinions were presented, expressing the depth, the range and the intricacy of the time dynamics. The principal merit of these meetings consisted in bringing together colleagues from different disciplines. It involved scientists from the hard core of science (particle physics, relativity and cosmology), biologists and neurophysiologists, philosophers and theologians. The questions addressed include the notion of time in quantum mechanics and general relativity, the process of “self-organization” in time, the anthropic link of the external time to the human time, the biological time, the neurophysiology of time, the time during a mystical experience, the multiplicity of times and the universal description of time, our temporal existence and the eternal divinity, Kierkegaard’s view on time and a comparison of related notions of time in philosophy and theology.

Is there a convergence among the different points of view? Is there a shared understanding of the notion of time? It is not that certain. Far from easily offered solutions, these proceedings respect the complexity of the issue, search for novel insights and bring forward the latest results from scientific research. For these reasons, the eBook is a trustworthy companion for an exciting trip in the land of time.

Christos Tsagas
Department of Astrophysicsy
University of Thessaloniki
Greece


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