Thesis: The current perception of time is erroneous and that we foolishly "spend" too much time on a specified activity, and the solution to this problem lies in the idea of externalism, an ideology that ‘time is the fourth dimension of nature’.
The current perception of time is inclined to presentism, an idea that time is only real in the present moment, meaning that different points in time, as the past, have already passed and staged the future as a period that is yet to pass. The argument falls short on the fact that it just measures the duration of events, like the amount of time it takes to cook tea or write up an assignment. The argument also poses a question of relativity, on how the current point of time-related to the past and the future. Ideally, the assumption that the only real point in time is the present moment elicits a suspicion that the current measurement of time alienates space and the universe. The measure of duration of time an event takes is a man made simplistic formula to capture a number of resources (out of daily deposits of 24 hours) that omits the possibility of the idea that time might be ticking in three real dimensions; present, past and future.
Presentism (the way we currently measure time) contributes to the unreality of time, an idea that was first plotted by a Cambridge idealist, MC Taggart. The argument postulates that the way time is measured is contradictory, circular and inadequate (Dummett). The error in this measurement is caused by the fact that time measurement is concentrated on durations of doing tasks. That leads to a massive wastage of time on activities that are specifically identified, say, like the requirement that high school students should finish the mathematics paper within a period of two hours. While it gives the students an allowance of duration, this idea of time takes away the ability to control the flow of arguments, because it makes the students concentrate on the present moment, as opposed to allowing them the freedom to concentrate on their ideas.
The solution to this problem in the measurement of time is the idea of externalism, an ideology that ‘time is the fourth dimension of nature’. It means that time is always real in all the tenses. The idea divides scientists in the middle, spurring a huge debate on the nature of time, and the possibilities that exist if indeed time is the fourth dimension. Documentaries like ‘Through the Wormhole’ and movies like ‘Continuum’ have dug into the idea in depth, in the view that time travel might be a possibility. Ideally, if the past and the future are real aspects of time, then there is a possibility that that time dimension can be changed. It is not a surprise that scientists are already betting on time travel; the ability to travel from the past to the future, and being able to see what will happen. However, as it stands, the idea of time as the fourth dimension remains as an ideology, that is yet to be exploited to human advantage (Gołosz).
Perhaps, we would be more effective in the use of time if we stopped viewing it as a deposit of twenty-four hours every day that we have to plan for and spend wisely. The effectiveness of the availability of twenty-four in a day is questionable, especially considering that it is used to segment the hours to such portions like sleeping time and 9-5 working hours. We could be more effective if the idea of time is shifted to reflect the natural flow of activities at the optimal levels with a focus on the quality of results as opposed to the duration of time used in doing an activity. This is because the present approach to the measurement of time takes people to a frantic run to beat time.
Works Cited
Dummett, Michael. “A Defense of McTaggart’s Proof of the Unreality of Time.” The Philosophical Review 69.4 (1960): 497. Web.
Gołosz, Jerzy. “Presentism, Eternalism, and the Triviality Problem.” Logic and Logical Philosophy 22.1 (2013): n.pag. Web.
