G
Gorgias
Guest
Things that exist change. We can agree on that, right?
They grow (or shrink), they come-into-being and go-out-of-being, they change position (i.e., move). We are accustomed to seeing all of these things happening within the frame of reference of a temporal framework; that is, they do not happen simultaneously, but have duration. ‘Time’ is the measure of the duration of those changes.
(As I mentioned before, even the scientific definition of time (i.e., the measure of a ‘second’) is the measure of the duration of atomic fluctuation.)
The point is, though, that the “laws of nature” aren’t different. Therefore, the universe – and all that is in it – is not static, but dynamic.
No… ‘past’ and ‘future’ do not exist in the present moment. Yes, what we experience is the moment we label “now”. It is not that these moments pop into existence and then are obliterated – after all, you’d have a horrible time defining your existence, if you thought that the ‘you’ who existed last second ceased to exist and a ‘new’ you comes into existence this second! – but rather, it is that you experience moments in time as the ‘present moment’ in sequence. Now… I’d agree that you don’t have direct access to these moments (after all, you have no access to the future), but you do have indirect access to past moments (memory, as well as physical artifacts of those moments).
From a fundamental perspective, Aristotle claims that we can only understand something if we understand its cause; from that perspective the ‘usefulness’ of causes is knowledge and understanding.
However, I think that this isn’t what you’re asking. If you want to ask these questions – and understand the answers offered to you – you really do need to read the source documents yourself. However, as a bit of a crutch in the meantime, here’s a description of Aristotle and Causality.
We’re not talking about change in God; we’re talking about change in the universe.
If God were in the universe, then you might have a point. However, since He is outside the universe, therefore a change in the universe does not imply a change in God. His ‘timelessness’ doesn’t mean He cannot act on the universe which He created!
In the frame of reference of the universe (that is, in terms of physical objects), change is experienced temporally.
Yet, even physicists, studying tachyon particles and quantum mechanics, are asking whether “retro-causality” occurs.
I would say that they exist – after all, they have measurable effects. However, they do not have being; I would agree with that.
Tell that to the policeman with a radar gun, who measures your speed and gives you a speeding ticket.
Again: try using that as your defense when you get a speeding ticket!
So… that instrument measured change, then!
