|
The way I've always naturally understood "now" is that it is the only real moment, not just the moment I am experiencing. "Now" is the way the universe is. It is the actual state, and every other state is either in the past or hasn't happened yet, not just in relation to "now," but objectively. In this view, the universe is a certain way and progresses through a series of moments or changes, but it's only ever one way. I realize that saying "ever" is kind of strange because it's like saying "only one moment exists at one time," which seems kind of obvious that only one moment should exist at one moment. But, existence seems to transcend time. Either something exists or it doesn't exist, whether it's in a certain moment or not. I'm just speaking about intuitions here. Anyway, I just assume this is how everybody understands "now" in their day to day lives. However, is there really any scientific basis for the "now," or is it just a result of consciousness or humanity. I don't believe time is man-made. That's like saying speed is man-made. Maybe it is. But, I think there are definitely temporal features and relations of the universe without man. But, the case of the "now" is a different story. Despite how I naturally think about the universe, I don't there is any moment any more real than another, and that this "now" is only real to me because I'm a being that exists within it.
If that is the case, then when I die, no longer having a consciousness to ground me in the "now," the moments following death will have no more legitimate claim to being real than the moments preceding it. Here is the proof: I exist.
|