I hate....

[MatrixmaN]

Hate is a harsh word really..... but I kinda do.

I hate it when people say "time" is just a theory made up by humans. Some say there is no such thing as time and we just need it to base ourselves in this universe.

Are they really that daft?

Do they not understand that if there is no "time" then why do things age and change in a process? A Process takes (no other good word in my human vocabulary) time.

Regardless of whether time lengthens or shortens depending on where you are in the universe it is still there. We have time zones on this planet that define certain differences in time, maybe not in longer or shorter terms but the time in those areas are different, yet the same in both instances.

Time in the universe is most likely the same. We don't have a "universal" time yet because we have no way to measure how long it takes the universe to "rotate" around a center point (which is how we define time as it stands and is also a VERY faulty method at that). Hell, for all we know time can universally be based upon the deterioration of a certain type of substance/molecule in the universe to which it's deterioration properties don't change regardless of the circumstances under which it can be placed.

Regardless there is TIME.

TIME is of the essence.

TIME keeps on ticking ticking ticking, into the future.

And yes, some people retailiate with "If time is always going forward then why do some certain molecules reverse or slow down their age?" Because TIME isn't linear most likely, it's a line in a vague 2D sense, a line that can most likely go in either direction depending on what you are and where you are.

I hate daft people....they are also the ones that believe we are the ONLY things alive in the entire universe....pfft.

/rant

[shahani]

Time is a concept really.

An abstract one at that.

Can't see or feel or touch it.

It's a way humans perceive or understand events and their sequencing.

Dunno about how aliens do it, though.

[MatrixmaN]

Well thats what I'm saying:

It is more than just a concept. You can't really see, feel, or touch it but it does affect you. Which gives it just as much base not as being able to see wind, or grab light.

The only reason it's abstract is because we base time upon the movement and rotation of a chunk of gas and rock. That IS abstract but there has to be a much more precise way hence the atomic clock type thing even tho that has to be affected by something somehow.

[Creatures]

it exists for sure! if not everything would happen at once

Creatures

[Tarp2]

Time is Relative. I.E. your time is not my time. I keep a close watch on a friend, meanwhile, You watch a game. Is the perception of the time the same? Nope, not for me.

Interesting topic though. I have to think more about this.

Tarp

[OuTpaTienT]

.... It's Hammer Time! Break it down. do-do-dodo da-do da-do

[M_Six]

Time certainly exists. The rate of radioactive decay proves that. However, our method of measuring time, i.e., days, months, years, is entirely human. And even amongst humans it can different. Different cultures have different calendars. They perceive time differently.

[Creatures]

well you say it's 6:00 PM we say it's 18:00 (BTW why do you use those PM AM thing? why not the "normal" display?)

Creatures

[MatrixmaN]

Exactly,

What I was really trying to prove in this thread was not "how" we tell time and "why" (because those are topics upon themselves) but that time does in fact exsist due to contrary belief of the daftly dense ones in our society who, infact, believe time to be a delusional shared psychosis that all humans share.

[Knothead]

All of you are correct. Time IS a real quantity, and is also an abstract concept; depending on your viewpoint...

Consider that there are two distinct universes we live in: the physical universe, and the spiritual one. We occupy both at the same time (note: this won't work for you if you are of the belief that we are not spiritual beings.)

The Physical universe incorporates not only Time, but energy, matter, and space. These four quantities are inseperable, in that without one, the other three cease to exist.

Time is what measures the rate of decay of matter. Matter must have space and energy to exist. And so on...

The Spiritual universe has none of these aspects (except perhaps energy, albeit not the same kind as exists in the physical universe.) In this spiritual universe, time has no function, as everything that will happen has already happened, and all that has happened is happening currently.

In other words, time is linear in the physical universe; From the viewpoint of the spiritual one, you'll get a real headache trying to understand it fully.