Atheists, what is your philisophical concept of time?

If nothing were to change we could not say that time passes. Change is primary, time, if it exists at all, is something we deduce from it.

Mach remarked “It is utterly beyond our power to measure the changes of things by time. Quite the contrary, time is an abstraction at which we arrive through the changes of things.” Thus, time as such does not exist but only change.

The quantum universe is likely to be static. Motion and the apparent passage of time may be nothing but very well founded illusions.

Personally I believe reality is ultimately mathematics. It only looks like space and time because we see so little of it. Nothing is ever really created. The key here is a powerful selection effect (our existence ) which selects the portion of reality we find ourselves in.

Our understanding of reality is layered. You see the world in terms of large physical objects. But you are aware that those are illusions made up of atoms, and atoms in turn are made of smaller particles. Many believe that these so called "fundamental" particles are not fundamental but are built on a layer of mathematical objects called strings. My belief is that all reality is built upon mathematics and mathematics is what is fundamental.

The reason why we see top layers instead of lower layers is due to our inability to see all of the the details in the lower layers.

http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0704/0704.0646...

As mathematics ( necessary logical truth ) is fundamental and necessary it is not created. Existence simply equals necessary truth. Mathematics "just is" because it is necessary and tautologically simple ( Zero complexity ). But Mathematics does not create reality. Mathematics is reality.

The problem with the god hypothesis is your god needs to be more complex and hence more unlikely than the reality you are attempting to explain. Saying your god just is, still leaves a much bigger question than you had to begin with.

nice question...

just look at some of the answers you are getting. Now they say that it is not possible for time not to exist because a human said it was the fourth dimension. Now that is very critical thinking.

Edit: time even within our biological system, the body, is a bit more than mildly interesting. For example the lack of a lag time from our extremities nervous system in reaction to touch to our brains recognition of the sensation.

Researchers dubed the word "precognition" because of the lack of effect of time. Plus it work back words as well. If the cortical area is stimulated directly the sensation is reacted to physically with out the lag. Signals travel at about 200 mph through our nervous system. Not so fast that a delay should not be able to be measured.

Dimensions, including time, are mathematically real. We actually don't perceive all of them, but that's not the point.

The idea of a complex being like god existing outside of time or whatever is a very unconvincing argument. First because of who made god, but most importantly, it is merely a baseless suggestion. Why not would that god be the god of the koran or thor or the greek gods? It's seriously a lousy argument to use ignorance to promote your point of view.

Time is merely the perceived progressive action of the universe through the matter and energy within it and its actions upon other matter and energy. Basically, time is also based on cause and effect - the cause being the actions of matter and energy and the effect being the movement of other matter and energy.

Strictly speaking, time does not progress though, it is only a measuring impliment to define the duration of events and the actions of matter and energy.

To say that something is "outside of time" is to say that they are not comprised of matter or energy and that there is something that is not subject to cause and effect. Considering the condition that the god of Isreal is allegedly of human form (or rather, the other way around), he must have a form in the sense that he exists as matter/energy, placing him inside the constraints of time.

When it comes down to it though, you can never really know. To assume that you can place your god outside of reality and then attempt to enforce that belief upon others based purely on the possibility is extremely arrogant. Only someone peddling religion would insist that you accept something purely on the possibility and the unknowable.

Your ramblings are incredibly difficult to interpret. I will try to answer your question, although I'm not sure I understand it. The concept of "cause and effect" is also a human perception. Are you implying that god created the first cause? I don't understand what that means.

Please rephrase your question. I even have neither the capability nor motivation that might actually assist you once you attempt to talk of psychological issues, and word your question with "are there any." a main mover would desire to be seen the sunlight for all that's truly worth. hence the loosely based very own definition of best Mover: a main Mover is a substantial capability source that runs some thing complicated. Do you have self belief interior the sunlight? possibly your bicycle gears? they are best movers. Please reassess your question and that i'd be satisfied to grant you my superb achievable answer.

key word *what if* but to be honest, I don't believe God can create time because then there would be no time to create in the first place. If there is no time, then everything is on pause, so how can you create time if everything is on pause in the first place? To me time is something that is always in the constant, there is not past or future, only the present.

God existing outside of time? Come on....get real. Nothing exists outside of time. Time is a constant with no beginning and no end. Time existed before we did, and will continue to exist long after we're gone.

lmao we use clocks...

i would really appreciate it if everyone would stop trying to convert people through yahoo answers, if going to chruch didn't change anyone, then i doubt your online missonary service will either sorry.

you do not at all sound smart or philisophical, time is not a perception it is something that is measured and it is definte. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RELIGION.

It has nothing to do with causes and affects or God or any outside dependancies.

To me, time is simply the pathway through which we tread as we live, moving as fast as it does, leading to the necessary decisions required in life. It's the driving force of life, knowing that every second that passes, is one second less of existence