Time
Do you know what time it is? No, no you don't.
Philosophically speaking, time is (at best) a fable agreed on. Time, once was regarded as absolute and constant. However, Einstein and modern science has shown time to be relative and inconsistent, that is subject to frames of reference and outside forces. Even the order of events can change based upon a different frame of reference.
On the more immediate level, suppose my friend says the time is 2 minutes later than what my watch says? What time is the more correct one? The truth is that no one knows. But it wouldn't be right to say my friend has the wrong time. If someone says it's 15 minutes later than what my watch says though, I will say they're wrong. Time is implicitly constructed by our culture and necessary for our society to function, and therefore someone being off by that much can be considered wrong.
Which brings up the issue of authority - what or who gets to say what the "correct" time is? There are official times, such as International Atomic Time, which is an average of 50 atomic clocks worldwide. The fact that it's an average is self-admission of a non-absolute standard. There is also Coordinated Universal Time, which is sort of a reformed version of the orthodox IAT that includes small adjustments and an allowance for regional and local differences. Most people ignore these organizations however. Such people would say that they like time, but not the time-keeping organisations. Many people set their time measuring devices by their work-place's or their school's time. But my guess would be that television networks do more than any force in creating a largely agreed upon cultural time metanarrative. How's that for authority?
Technorati tags: Time Absolute Relativity Philosophy Standards Metanarrative
Philosophically speaking, time is (at best) a fable agreed on. Time, once was regarded as absolute and constant. However, Einstein and modern science has shown time to be relative and inconsistent, that is subject to frames of reference and outside forces. Even the order of events can change based upon a different frame of reference.
On the more immediate level, suppose my friend says the time is 2 minutes later than what my watch says? What time is the more correct one? The truth is that no one knows. But it wouldn't be right to say my friend has the wrong time. If someone says it's 15 minutes later than what my watch says though, I will say they're wrong. Time is implicitly constructed by our culture and necessary for our society to function, and therefore someone being off by that much can be considered wrong.
Which brings up the issue of authority - what or who gets to say what the "correct" time is? There are official times, such as International Atomic Time, which is an average of 50 atomic clocks worldwide. The fact that it's an average is self-admission of a non-absolute standard. There is also Coordinated Universal Time, which is sort of a reformed version of the orthodox IAT that includes small adjustments and an allowance for regional and local differences. Most people ignore these organizations however. Such people would say that they like time, but not the time-keeping organisations. Many people set their time measuring devices by their work-place's or their school's time. But my guess would be that television networks do more than any force in creating a largely agreed upon cultural time metanarrative. How's that for authority?
Technorati tags: Time Absolute Relativity Philosophy Standards Metanarrative
posted by Freethinker at 5:31:00 PM
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