Most of us know time as a infinite variable, represented in seconds, minutes, hours, days and more. In his book, “The Order of Time”, Carlo Rovelli explores time deeper than we know it, poetically describing our interpretation of time, and linking it to a philosophical perspective on life. His ideas and alternative perceptions of time ignited my own curiosity and left me pondering on how we perceive time.
You may have heard about the unique relationship between space and time. Rovelli further plays with the idea and applies it to different scenarios, explaining that it is a concept to define change. The passing of time is also an event, measuring something growing, evolving, or changing. Time is a change in entropy, which simply means a transfer in heat.
Rovelli revealed that time can be perceived in many ways, but our modern understanding is merely one that makes sense because it ties into concepts of physics to explain our world. My experience with science showed that there is always something new to discover, and something old to disprove. The author’s analysis made me question whether the concept of time is meant to be finite, only measuring the duration of an event. I.e the time between birth and death of a human, or the duration of a thunderstorm. Is it possible that the way we perceive time is flawed, and that there are other unknown factors yet to consider which influence the passage of time?
Rovelli’s philosophical analysis of time proposes that the passing of time only happens in our minds. We can’t physically be in the past, present and future all at once, so how do our minds perceive the passing of time? This leads to the question of existence, what does it mean to exist? Does it mean to be present? If time did not exist, could we exist? Therefore, is our existence dependent on the passing of time? Time clearly affects how we think and act, influencing daily decisions. Would you ponder on death if time was not a factor?
This book opened my eyes to time. In essence, time is a scientific concept that has been developed over hundreds of years to help understand our world. “The Order of Time” explains the concept from many angles in relation to science, life and existence. Rovelli only uses one mathematical equation to simplify complicated concepts. Whether you are scientifically inclined or not, this book will reshape your perception of time.
Books for Thought 