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Zegel · 01-21-2004, 11:20 PM

Hey there, new to this forum, and I like it a lot so far =P. Heres something that has always bugged me:

I've heard quite a lot about theories involving time, space-time, and the like, but I've never really been able to understand them. It seems my belief on time differs from the scientific community, and although I usually give people like Einstein the benefit of the doubt, the idea of time is one of the issues that continues to bother me. Let me see if I can put it bluntly.

As far as I can tell, Time does not exist. It is simply an idea created by humans in order to reference Past, Present, and Future.

I feel that the only true part of that equation is the Present. The main problem that I have with time is that everything except the Present only exists in our minds. The past has already happened and only exists as memories. The future has not yet happened and only exists as we believe it may happen. If the Past and the Future do not exist other than in our minds, then the Present cant be plotted on a line because there is no before or after, just a simple point. Thus, you have no timeline.

Now, I know that part of my explanation is flawed. I am basing it on a belief that past and future do not exist beyond our minds, and that is a belief, not necessarily a fact. However, I have never seen any shred of proof that the past or future exist in any manner, other than to serve as an easy way for us to relate the constantly changing world around us.

So then I wonder; since all the great scientific minds tend to base their work on facts, how can they develop all these theories on time without proof that it exists?

Sorry if my post was confusing, but I hope you guys can shed some light on the matter for me.

01-21-2004, 11:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
Zegel Tilted	Time Hey there, new to this forum, and I like it a lot so far =P. Heres something that has always bugged me: I've heard quite a lot about theories involving time, space-time, and the like, but I've never really been able to understand them. It seems my belief on time differs from the scientific community, and although I usually give people like Einstein the benefit of the doubt, the idea of time is one of the issues that continues to bother me. Let me see if I can put it bluntly. As far as I can tell, Time does not exist. It is simply an idea created by humans in order to reference Past, Present, and Future. I feel that the only true part of that equation is the Present. The main problem that I have with time is that everything except the Present only exists in our minds. The past has already happened and only exists as memories. The future has not yet happened and only exists as we believe it may happen. If the Past and the Future do not exist other than in our minds, then the Present cant be plotted on a line because there is no before or after, just a simple point. Thus, you have no timeline. Now, I know that part of my explanation is flawed. I am basing it on a belief that past and future do not exist beyond our minds, and that is a belief, not necessarily a fact. However, I have never seen any shred of proof that the past or future exist in any manner, other than to serve as an easy way for us to relate the constantly changing world around us. So then I wonder; since all the great scientific minds tend to base their work on facts, how can they develop all these theories on time without proof that it exists? Sorry if my post was confusing, but I hope you guys can shed some light on the matter for me.