From: jimruttshow8596
The concept of time has been a subject of deep inquiry throughout human history, evolving with cultural perspectives and technological advancements [03:46:00]. Historically, early methods of tracking time relied on natural phenomena like sand flowing, wind patterns, and shadows [03:54:00]. The invention of mechanical clocks led to Isaac Newton’s “clockwork universe” concept, where time was seen as an ultimate, universal clock through which the universe continuously moves [04:01:00].
Later, Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity introduced the concept of relative time, which gave rise to the idea of a “block universe” [04:16:00]. In this view, all moments in time exist simultaneously, and our perception of “passing through time” is merely an illusion [08:34:00]. Physicist Sarah Walker describes Einstein’s universe as a “dead universe” because it doesn’t account for the inherent directionality observed in phenomena like life [09:01:00].
The Arrow of Time
The apparent irreversibility of time in our everyday experience is often referred to as the “arrow of time.” Several theories attempt to explain this phenomenon:
- Thermodynamic Arrow The most common explanation, exemplified by a dropped egg splattering irreversibly, suggests that time has a direction because disorder (entropy) always increases [11:04:00].
- Cosmological Arrow This perspective ties the arrow of time to the universe’s expansion from the Big Bang singularity, moving from a very small, ordered state to an ever-expanding, less ordered state [11:19:00].
- Causal Arrow The principle of causality dictates a sequence of events—one thing happening “after another”—which implies a directionality in time [11:42:00]. For irreversibility to occur in complex systems, a mechanism for causation in one direction is required [13:03:00]. In physics, reversibility is often assumed because processes don’t require memory [13:47:00]. However, in biological systems, which are products of evolution, reversing a process would necessitate the evolution of a specific mechanism to do so, indicating an emergent irreversibility tied to memory [13:51:00].
- Particle Physics Explanation The decay of certain subatomic particles, like the kaon, exhibits a rare, irreversible decay that breaks CP symmetry, offering a fundamental, albeit narrow, basis for the arrow of time [12:08:00].
- Quantum Decoherence The collapse of quantum states into classical states is also suggested as a driver for the arrow of time, implying a continuous, irreversible transition from probabilistic quantum realities to definite classical ones [12:31:00].
Assembly Theory’s Reinterpretation of Time
Assembly Theory, proposed by Sarah Walker and Lee Cronin, offers a new perspective on time, positing it as an intrinsic, material property of objects rather than an external fluid or an illusion [04:30:00].
Lee Cronin describes time as a “fabric” that represents the increasing capacity for things to happen, distinct from merely measuring the passage of events [05:17:00]. This concept suggests that there are more options available in the future than in the past [01:04:03]. This increasing capacity directly provides a mechanism for the Second Law of Thermodynamics [06:01:00]. A key implication of this view is that time travel is fundamentally not possible [06:29:00].
Assembly Theory fundamentally challenges Einstein’s block universe concept [01:02:01]. In the block universe, novelty doesn’t truly exist, and everything is predetermined [01:03:01]. Assembly Theory, however, implies that the universe is intrinsically asymmetric [01:17:17], a property hinted at by CP violation in particle physics [01:22:00].
In Assembly Theory, an object’s minimal path, representing the sequence of steps required to construct it, is considered a physical attribute of the object itself [01:34:00]. This means the object is “extended in time” and inherently encodes its own memory of its formation [01:38:00]. Thus, complex objects possess a “depth” in time [01:05:43], reflecting their historical philosophical influences | causal history. The theory aims to make the abstract concept of information material, embedding it within the temporal dimension of objects [00:59:51]. Just as mass is a measurable physical property described by physics, Assembly Theory proposes a measurable “assembly index” as a physical property that reflects the time and selection embedded in an object’s existence [01:01:17].
This perspective suggests that time is not merely a background for events but an active component that shapes the emergence and persistence of complex structures in the universe [01:17:00].