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Question: Presentism is clenched by empirical experience!?
While eternalism regards every moment as equivalent, that is not what I, as a biological being experience!. I recollect the past and conjecture about the future!. I do not feel, perceive directly my existence at any other time than ?Now?!.
Entropy increase allows for a time arrow but time itself is not measured!. All theories in which time is subjected to measure exist in eternalism!. My empirical experience is not accurately accounted by any current physical theory!.
And stop thinking that just because there are a few ideas around, they describe everything!. If you cannot put aside your knowledge of physics to consider the universe as a know nothing child, it's like looking at the phone system as only a registry of names and numbers!. True understanding eludes you!.
Is the true essence of the universe unfathomable!? Of course it is!. Dumb luck our theories work to some extent; dumb luck mathematics has shown itself to be extremely useful!.
Now show I'm an ignorant moron!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I can't show you are an "ignorant moron" because clearly you are neither!.!.!.!.
But!.!.!.
It seems like you are twisting the meaning of eternalism!. Eternalism says that the past, present, and future exist!. Presentism says only the present exists!.
I can see how you interpreted it as equivalent!.
(Past = exist; Present = exist; Future = exist;
::Therefore, they are all equivalent since they all equal the same thing)
You use YOUR empirical experience to prove your point, but what of my empirical experience!? Am I not allowed to say what is the present!? It's presently morning, but is it so for you!? What about people on the other side of the world!? Who are you to say that you are the authority to what counts as the present!?
You saw your words as you typed and you took that into account as the present, but there was an actual delay that you failed to notice!. The delay of light reaching your eye, your mind processing it and you reacting to it!. This means you are looking at the past!. Everything you assume is the present, is actually the past!. Your empirical experience was experienced and will never be a present experience for the present is always elusive!.
I can't ignore my knowledge of physics, so!.!.!.!.
With knowledge of the VERY useful physics, General Theory of Relativity shows there is no absolute present in the universe!. Reference frames are how the universe is perceived!. Just how you perceive empirical experience through your own reference frame!.
Even with all of that said, I may be the ignorant moron so take my words with a grain of salt as you probably already do!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
To be honest, I didn't really understand most of what you wrote but I feel like replying anyway!. (or I could say that its all a load of crap but I'll put it down to my lack of understanding of your choice of words instead)
It can be shown 'empirically' (perhaps by a survey) that time goes faster on weekends than on weekdays, faster when you are having fun than doing boring work!.
We are told to 'live in the moment' but what moment!? Now!.!.!.!. or now!? Is it a milisecond or a minute!? Time is elastic and interconnected with our conciousness!.
Maybe all of life is one big moment, or perhaps all of time is just one big moment (eternalism) and if we can wrap our heads around that then maybe we can exist at all points of time at once!.
We can go the other way too!. f we slow down our thought processes we can slow down time too!. Sometimes when I am deep in meditation it feels like each second is infinitely long!. (or at least each second can be savoured and time really does slow down)
Children live almost entirely in the present and are probably the closest examples of presentism!. A child doesn't reminisce much about the past nor think much for the future (if at all)!. Some people stay 'childish' their whole lives (and I'm jealous, or perhaps I'm one of them)!.
As far as 'clenched by empirical experience' I can't really say!. I don't understand what you mean!. Do you mean disproved by empirical evidence!? That would take us into epistemology!. Putting clear definitions on time is tricky!.Www@QuestionHome@Com