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Awareness Quote by Julian Barbour

“The chain from cause to effects may be quite long and take surprising forms, but a cause there must be. It is unsatisfactory to suppose that we have a direct awareness of an invisible flow of time. Our sense of the passage of time and, even more basically, of seeing motion and knowing its…” quote by Julian Barbour
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““The chain from cause to effects may be quite long and take surprising forms, but a cause there must be. It is unsatisfactory to suppose that we have a direct awareness of an invisible flow of time. Our sense of the passage of time and, even more basically, of seeing motion and knowing its direction, ought to have a cause we can get our hands on. The””

Julian Barbour

About This Quote

Source Book: "The End of Time", 2013

Time perception must have a physical cause; we cannot directly sense an invisible flow.

In simple terms: Time’s feeling needs a tangible cause.

Key Takeaway

Explore the basis of temporal experience.

Themes

science philosophy causality

Mood

analytical curious

Type

scientific philosophical

When to use this quote

  • education
  • research
  • public talks

Key Concepts

physics metaphysics cognitive science

Questions to Reflect On

  • What evidence supports a cause for time?
  • Can we ever fully understand motion?
A Different Perspective

Cause may be elusive or indirect.

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