Time Is an Illusion, and These Physicists Say They Know How It Works
Recent discussions among physicists suggest that time may be an illusion, prompting a deeper examination of its nature and implications, intertwining philosophical and scientific perspectives that challenge conventional views.
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The concept of time being an illusion has resurfaced in discussions among physicists, prompting questions about its meaning and implications. Recent headlines have suggested that time is not as straightforward as it seems, leading to a deeper examination of the topic. The blog post by Sabine Hossenfelder explores these ideas, referencing a recent paper that delves into the nature of time and its perception in physics. The discussion highlights the philosophical and scientific dimensions of time, suggesting that our understanding may be limited by conventional views. Hossenfelder's analysis aims to clarify what physicists mean when they assert that time could be an illusion, encouraging readers to consider the complexities of this fundamental aspect of reality.
- Time is often described as an illusion by some physicists.
- Recent discussions and papers are exploring the nature of time.
- The topic intertwines philosophical and scientific perspectives.
- Understanding time may challenge conventional views.
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21 comments- Relativity: Builds on classical mechanics idea that time is a geometric axis and using a 4D coordinate system. What is further added is the possible distortion of that 4D spacetime.
- Quantum mechanics: Strictly speaking quantum mechanics does not model time at all. It is more like algebra. It only describes equivalences / transformations which can occur. When we reformulate some algebraic expressions we don't think of the steps we take as time steps. It wouldn't work anyway because there are many possible paths not one. It is not a 1D sequence but a graph, which can even contain cycles.
- Thermodynamics: None of the other areas of physics make time "pass", because to them time is symmetric and past and future might as well be swapped. Only thermodynamics introduces an asymmetry by coupling it to information theory: On the macroscopic average, entropy can not decrease, only increase. Thus, we get a global gradient form low to high entropy, which is what makes time irreversible on a large scale.
My own observation is that time is better described as human narrative description of events in the observable universe.
I have not read the paper referenced in the video and I have to really spend time on these things to recall the concepts such papers are typically breezing through, but when I have attempted in previous years to understand how scientists explain time, they seem to usually have little agreement and lots of guesses. I have not found scientists claiming they have discovered fundamental units of time. I have not found scientists claiming they can sample time. I have not found scientists claiming they can isolate time. I have not found scientists claiming to have derived time as some sort of force in the universe. I am not clear on how something that has no fundamental units, cannot be sampled, cannot be isolated, and is not a force can also be something in the physically existent universe. Yet, scientists seem to place time in their explanations and equations as something that de facto exists.
1) General relativity is just a model.
2) The force that was observed as gravity can be modeled as a a distortion in space-time.
3) Thus (circular logic incoming), gravity is not actually a force, it's just a distortion in space-time, and that why it looks like a force.
This is just begging the question. I could say the exact same thing about any of the other forces between particles, just instead of using the permanent[0], I'd use the determinant[1] for fermions or the immanant[2] for anyons.
I remember in my electrodynamics class applying relativity to Coulomb's law, and seeing the magnetic force just pop out in the Taylor expansion (and I just learned the Feynman lectures does this too: II_13-6[3]). So what do physicists mean when they say gravity is special, or general relativity doesn't play well with quantum dynamics?
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_(mathematics)
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinant
Even atomic clocks measure time by the change of position of particles.
We measure years by the positional change of the Earth relative to the sun.
Each human made clock measures time by some positional change which repeats in equal enough intervals to stay consistent.
So don't worry everyone time still exists.
Everything which occurs involves change. Change implies time and motion and exchange only happen over time. Without time there is no big bang, no "work", no decay, no expansion, no energy propagation, no chemical reactions, no state changes... probably no resistance.
How can "the speed of light is the speed limit of the universe" and "time is an illusion" coexist?
Particularly chapter 2 the Multiplicity of Psychic States. And as he says the fault is making extensity out of duration and therefore producing nothing more than the ghost of space. I can't possibly do it justice here, highly recommended read for the curious of thought.
He's saying it has nothing to do with determinism or indeterminism in physics and has a very good explanation.
I really like the topic of no-time in theory, but I would prefer more philosophy and less culture jargon.
I ask hen: when did you figure this out?
The answer inevitably starts with a story that happened many years ago and I point out that if time were illusory then there is no appropriate way to answer the question.
Because hen is drunk or stoned, I get to do this multiple times. It's not the time is illusory, it's that hen doesn't remember.
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