The answer to the question of whether time really exists may seem obvious. There seems to be no reason to doubt the existence of time. But advances in physics show that the absence of time is a clear possibility and should be taken seriously. Although the absence of time is somewhat complicated to explain, fortunately, even without time, our lives do not change. Below you will find notable excerpts from scientist Sam Baron’s article published in The Conversation. In this article, Baron says that while there may not actually be a concept of time, it will not be a problem for us.
Two very successful physical theories have been used to explain the universe over the past century: general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Quantum mechanics explains how things work in the world of incredibly small particles and particle interactions. General relativity describes in a general way how gravity and objects move.
Both theories work pretty well on their own, but the two are thought to conflict with each other. While the exact nature of the conflict is disputed, scientists generally agree that both theories should be replaced by a new, more general theory.
Physicists want to create a theory of “quantum gravity” that replaces general relativity and quantum mechanics, while achieving the phenomenal success of both. Such a theory would explain how the overall picture of gravity works at the small particle scale. However, producing this theory is not easy.
One of the theories proposed to overcome the conflict between the two theories is string theory. String theory replaces particles with strings that vibrate in 11 dimensions.
But string theory faces another challenge. String theories offer a set of models that describe a universe broadly similar to our own, and do not make clear predictions that can be tested by experimentation to find out which model is correct.
In the 1980s and 1990s, many physicists were dissatisfied with string theory and introduced a number of new mathematical approaches to quantum gravity.
One of the most notable of these is loop quantum gravity, which suggests that the fabric of space and time is made of a web of extremely small discrete pieces, or “loops.” We could say that one of the remarkable aspects of loop quantum gravity is that it seems to eliminate time completely.
Loop quantum gravity isn’t the only theory to abolish time, either. A number of other approaches also seem to eliminate time as a fundamental aspect of reality. So we know that we need a new physical theory to explain the universe and that this theory may not include time.
The fact that such a theory is correct may also mean that time does not exist. But explaining this possibility is quite complex and depends on what we mean by the existence of time.
Theories of physics do not involve any tables, chairs, or humans, and yet we assume that tables, chairs, and humans exist. Because we assume that such things exist at a higher level than what physics tells us. For example, we could say that tables “emerged” from the fundamental physics of particles buzzing in the universe.
But while we have a pretty good idea of how to build a table out of elementary particles, we have no idea how time can “emerge” from something more fundamental. Thus, we cannot definitively assume that time exists unless we can find a good explanation for how time arose. Time may not be available at any level. The work of Sam Baron, Kristie Miller, and Jonathan Tallant also tells us this.
In fact, to say that time is not on any level is like saying that there is no table. Trying to get along in a world without desks can be tough, but in a world without time it seems like we’d definitely run into a lot more problems.
Our entire lives as humans are built around time. We plan for the future based on what we know about the past. We hold people morally responsible for their past actions so that we can scold or punish them later. In other words, we believe that we are beings who have an impact on existence by planning actions that will change the future.
But if there is no real future, is there any point in doing anything to bring about a change in the future? Is there any point in punishing someone for a past action when there is no past and an action taken does not change the future?
The discovery that there is no time could be a concept that could bring the entire world to a near standstill. It seems like we may have no reason to get out of bed. Fortunately, there is a point that saves us from this mess.
While physics can eliminate time, causality has yet to be touched. So, one thing can still reveal something else.
So, not much changes in our lives because the sense of responsibility for events can be recreated in purely causal terms. Even if there is no such thing as time, the things we do will have an effect…
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