Of Time and Lamentation : Reflections on Transience

Time's mysteries seem to resist comprehension and what remains, once the familiar metaphors are stripped away, can stretch even the most profound philosopher. In Of Time and Lamentation , Raymond Tallis rises to this challenge and explores the nature and meaning of time and how best to understand it. The culmination of some twenty years of thinking, writing and wondering about (and within) time, it is a bold, original and thought-provoking work. With characteristic fearlessness, Tallis seeks to reclaim time from the jaws of physics. For most of us, time is composed of mornings, afternoons and evenings and expressed in hurry, hope, longing, waiting, enduring, planning, joyful expectation and grief. Thinking about it is to meditate on our own mortality. Yet, physics has little or nothing to say about this time, the time as it is lived. The story told by caesium clocks, quantum theory and Lorentz coordinates, Tallis argues, needs to be supplemented by one of moss on rocks, tears on faces and the long narratives of our human journey. Our temporal lives deserve a richer attention than is afforded by the equations of mathematical physics. The first part of the book, "Killing Time" is a formidable critique of the spatialized and mathematized account of time arising from physical science. The passage of time, the direction of time and time travel are critically examined and the relationship between mathematics and reality, and the nature of the observer, are explored. Part 2, "Human Time" examines tensed time, the reality of time as it is lived: what we mean by "now", how we make sense of past and future events, and the idea of eternity. With the scientistic reduction of time set aside and lived time reaffirmed, Tallis digs deeper into the nature of time itself in the final part, "Finding Time". Questions about "the stuff" of time – such as instants and intervals – about time and change, and the relationship between objective and subjective time, open on to wider discussions about time and causation, the irruption of subjectivity and intentionality into a material universe, and the relationship between time and freedom. For anyone who has puzzled over the nature of becoming, wondered whether time is inseparable from change, whether time is punctuate or continuous, or even whether time, itself, is real, Of Time and Lamentation will provoke and entertain. Those, like Tallis himself, who seek to find a place at which the scientific and humanistic views of humanity can be reconciled, will celebrate his placing of human consciousness at the heart of time, and his showing that we are "more than cogs in the universal clock, forced to collaborate with the very progress that pushes us towards our own midnight". Time's Mysteries Seem To Resist Comprehension And What Remains, Once The Familiar Metaphors Are Stripped Away, Can Stretch Even The Most Profound Philosopher. In Of Time And Lamentation, Raymond Tallis Rises To This Challenge And Explores The Nature And Meaning Of Time And How Best To Understand It. The Culmination Of Some Twenty Years Of Thinking, Writing And Wondering About (and Within) Time, It Is A Bold, Original, And Thought-provoking Work. With Characteristic Fearlessness, Tallis Seeks To Reclaim Time From The Jaws Of Physics. For Most Of Us, Time Is Composed Of Mornings, Afternoons, And Evenings And Expressed In Hurry, Hope, Longing, Waiting, Enduring, Planning, Joyful Expectation, And Grief. Thinking About It Is To Meditate On Our Own Mortality. Yet, Physics Has Little Or Nothing To Say About This Time, The Time As It Is Lived. The Story Told By Caesium Clocks, Quantum Theory, And Lorentz Coordinates, Tallis Argues, Needs To Be Supplemented By One Of Moss On Rocks, Tears On Faces, And The Long Narratives Of Our Human Journey. Our Temporal Lives Deserve A Richer Attention Than Is Afforded By The Equations Of Mathematical Physics.the First Part Of The Book, Killing Time Is A Formidable Critique Of The Spatialized And Mathematized Account Of Time Arising From Physical Science. Part 2, Human Time Examines Tensed Time, The Reality Of Time As It Is Lived: What We Mean By Now, How We Make Sense Of Past And Future Events, And The Idea Of Eternity. Machine Generated Contents Note: Pt. I Killing Time -- Ch. 1 Introduction: Seeing Time -- 1.1. Vision: From Implicit To Explicit Time -- 1.2. The Hegemony Of Vision In Explicit Time Sense -- 1.3. The Visibly Hidden -- 1.4. Conclusion -- Addendum Human And Animal Vision And Temporal Depth -- Ch. 2 Time As The Fourth Dimension -- 2.1. From Moving Shadows To The Science Of Mechanics: The Seductive Idea Of Time As Space -- 2.2. Against Space-like Notions Of Time -- 2.3. Is There An Arrow Of Time? -- 2.4. The Myth Of Time Travel: The Idea Of Pure Movement In Time -- 2.5. Further Reflections On Time As A Dimension -- Ch. 3 Mathematics And The Book Of Nature -- 3.1. From Place To Decimal Place 1: Geometrization Of Space -- 3.2. From Place To Decimal Place 2: Geometry Becomes Number -- 3.3. X, Y, Z, T: Space And Time Stripped Bare -- 3.4. Space: Beyond The Reach Of Numbers -- 3.5. Some Consequences Of Mathematical Literalism -- 3.6. Mathematics And Reality: The World As A System Of Magnitudes -- Addendum 1 Some Sideways Glances At Henri Bergson -- Addendum 2 A Note On Intelligibility And Reality -- Ch. 4 Clocking Time -- 4.1. The Mysterious Verb To Time -- 4.2. Light And Dark; Daytime And Night-time: Shadow Clocks And Beyond -- 4.3. The Pulse And The Pendulum -- 4.4. What Do Clocks (really) Do? -- 4.5. Telling The Time: At -- From Clock To O'clock -- 4.6. Orchestrating Our Lives -- 4.7. Towards Deep Time -- 4.8. Further Reflections -- Epilogue Finding Lost Time: Physics And Philosophy -- Pt. Ii Human Time -- Ch. 5 In Defence Of Tense -- 5.1. The Attack On Tense: The Physicists -- 5.2. The Attack On Tense: The Philosophers -- 5.3. Tense Regained: Time And The Conscious Subject -- Ch. 6 Living Time: Now -- 6.1. Now -- 6.2. The Present -- 6.3. Presence -- Ch. 7 The Past: Locating The Snows Of Yesteryear -- 7.1. The Presence Of The Past -- 7.2. Out Of Sight Into Mind: Getting The Past Into Focus -- 7.3. Where, Then, Are Those Snows? Memory And History -- 7.4. A Last Backward Look At Memory And The Past -- 7.5. Coda -- Addendum A Note On Memory -- Ch. 8 Concerning Tomorrow (today) -- 8.1. Introducing The Future: All Our Tomorrows -- 8.2. The Contested Openness Of The Future -- 8.3. Final Reflections On The Future -- Ch. 9 Beyond Time: Temporal Thoughts On Eternity -- 9.1. The Idea Of Eternity -- 9.2. The Relationship Between Time And Eternity -- 9.3. Was The Word In The Beginning? -- Pt. Iii Finding Time -- Ch. 10 (what) Is Time? -- 10.1. Defining Time: Preliminary Reflections -- 10.2. Time In Itself -- 10.3. The Stuff Of Time -- 10.4. Time And Change -- 10.5. Objective And Subjective Time -- 10.6. Concluding Comments -- Addendum A Note On The Singularity -- Ch. 11 The Onlooker: Causation And Explicit Time -- 11.1. Introduction -- 11.2. Time And Causation -- 11.3. The Onlooker -- 11.4. Final Observation Of Time, Change And Causation -- Addendum Mellor On Memory And The Causal Arrow Of Time -- Ch. 12 Time And Human Freedom -- 12.1. Introduction -- 12.2. Intentionality, Causation And Tensed Time -- 12.3. The Human Agent -- 12.4. Aspects Of Freedom. Raymond Tallis. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 697-709) And Index. Overture: Why Time?Part I: Killing Time1. Introduction: Seeing Time2. Time as "The Fourth Dimension"3. Mathematics and the Book of Nature4. Clocking TimePart II: Human Time5. In Defence of Tense6. Living Time: Now7. The Past: Locating the Snows of Yesteryear8. Concerning Tomorrow (Today)9. Beyond Time: Temporal Thoughts on EternityPart III: Finding Time10. (What) Is Time?11. The Onlooker: Causation and Explicit Time12. Time and Human FreedomEpilogue: Retrospect and Prospect A bold, original and thought-provoking exploration of the nature and meaning of time. Tallis, with characteristic fearlessness, seeks to reclaim time from the jaws of physics, arguing that time as it is lived, the long narrative of our human journey, can not be told by caesium clocks and Lorentz coordinates.