Time, Perspectives of

The 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote that time has no real existence outside the human mind. It is of course true that time itself is not a tangible object and therefore can be considered an abstraction or a human construct. Humans have been organizing and making meaning out of time for millennia, with different cultures developing their own models, which have influenced their perspective of time. Although differing viewpoints on time can seem strange to outsiders, it is consensus within a given group that is important. As long as the people holding a given perspective agree on it, they can then measure the duration of events or synchronize activities.

An example of different cultural perspectives of time was demonstrated by a study at California State University, Fresno, where college students in California and in Brazil were asked about their concepts of “early” and “late.” When asked how much time would pass before one would be considered late for an appointment, the Brazilian students' average was almost twice as long as that of the California students.

One way of looking at perspectives of time is by seeing time as relative or as absolute. Absolute time is measured quantitatively, using numbers and units. These units may be arbitrary (such as seconds, minutes, or weeks) or may be based on natural events (such as planetary motions). The units used will differ from culture to culture. The Mayans, for example, based days on the rotation of the earth. However, they used multiple calendars based on different numbers of days, and even one calendar based on the cycles of Venus.

Relative time is not measured with numbers. Instead, two or more events are compared, either in duration or in order of occurrence. The geologic timescale shows relative time. Using this system, scientists can describe the timing of an event (or the relationship of two events) in the earth's history according to a sequence of eras, eons, and smaller units. While the system divides time into more and more specific units, the units are not measured numerically. All of the eras (and all of the eons, etc.) are unequal in length, since the beginning or ending of a unit is usually determined by major geological events.

Time can also be seen as either circular or linear. Western culture tends to see time from a linear perspective, which is believed to have grown out of Judeo-Christian beliefs that the universe has a beginning (creation by God) and will have an ending. In the 17th century, Isaac Newton represented time mathematically with a line, and wrote that time “flows equably without relation to anything external.” Although Newton is credited with introducing the idea of linear time to the Western world, ancient Hebrew writings also refer to this viewpoint. In this perspective, time consists of an orderly sequence of events, progressing continuously. The flow of time is constant, and we do not have control over its passage. (An example of this viewpoint would be the phrase, “Time marches on.”) In this way, time can be understood as an arrow or a conveyor belt, always moving forward.

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