Classical and quantum framing of the Now
DOI: 10.1063/PT.3.2494
David Mermin says correctly that the spacetime of special relativity does not by itself describe our experience of Now. He also notes that we are “complex, extended entities.” A natural conclusion is that a notion of Now is not built into the fundamental laws of physics. Rather, it arises from the particular way our brains are organized to process temporal information—a way that is consistent with the fundamental laws but not an inevitable consequence of them. Reference provides simple models of how that works within familiar classical physics, including special relativity.
That conclusion is supported by models of observing systems that do not have a past, present, and future way of organizing temporal information and that are also consistent with the fundamental laws.
References
1. J. B. Hartle, Am. J. Phys. 73, 101 (2005), arXiv:gr-qc/0403001 . https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1783900
More about the Authors
James B. Hartle. (hartle@physics.ucsb.edu) University of California, Santa Barbara.
