Is Time Real? Bridging Phenomenology, Relativity, and Quantum Theory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.3028Keywords:
Augustine’s paradox, phenomenology, relativity, quantum mechanics, emergent time, philosophy of physics, temporal realism, consciousnessAbstract
The paper begins by addressing one of the oldest and yet most puzzling questions in philosophy
and physics: what is the nature of time? The research question is framed not merely as a
theoretical curiosity but as a central issue in understanding both human consciousness and the
structure of the universe. In this section, we outline how the original paper by Gupta frames the
debate primarily through Augustine’s paradox, and we show why this framing, while historically
important, leaves unresolved tensions when examined under the lens of modern science. We
then summarize our proposed contribution: to separate subjective experience of time from its
physical representations, to evaluate competing models systematically, and to offer a pluralistic
but coherent conception of time that avoids the illusion/reality dichotomy.
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