Re: time

In reply to Rafael's question on time and the stone, my answer may be
difficult to accept, because, as I understand it, you are a
phenomenologist and consider that reality exists only within an
internal perspective. However, I'll try to explain my point from
within my very different understadning, which uses both internal and
external measurements.

  A stone is a physical Form,, and as such, exists in all three
temporal modes of measurements: progressive, perfect and present. The
stone is composed of chemicals that remain the same, in their
composition, in Progressive time. That is, the chemical composition
has a continuity (past/future) regardless of whether those chemicals
are 'morphed' into This Stone or That Stone. The chemicals that make
up 'diamond' have a continuity of reality regardless of whether they
are formed into a 2 carat or 5 carat form. The stone, in its
particular contextual form (that 2 carat, or that 5 carat) operates in
its uniqueness in Perfect time. It is measured, encoded as 'that
particular diamond' within a temporal measurement that has added
another temporal dimension - that of singular crisp particularity.
That's a temporal mode of measurement that organizes matter quite
differently than within the continuity of Progressive time.It's an
external mode of measurement.
Now, that same stone also exists in itself, in the nowness of now, so
to speak, in Present time - regardless of its distinct form.This is a
strictly internal mode of organization and sets up the matter/stone as
a cohesive whole - a mode of existence quite different from the
differentiation capacities of Perfect time, and quite different from
the continuous capacities of Progressive time.

Time is not a separate linear scale, against which we measure
ourselves (oh, that's our past; and this is the present; and we'd
better plan for the future). That sets up time as only one type of
measurement; a referential abstract ruler, against which we measure
ourselves - but which, in a way, has nothing to do with the actual
composition of ourselves - and acts only as a reference. Much like an
ID card. That's not the type of temporal measurement that I am using
in my semiotics. In my semiotics, time is an actual means of
measurement that acts to form the 'final product'. It actually becomes
a component of the 'matter'. Matter exists and has the capacity to
interact differently, according to the temporal measurement that is
used to form that matter. So, matter operating in a present mode
behaves quite differently than matter operating in a perfect
mode...and quite differently when operating in a progressive mode.

Sounds a bit odd??!!

> Edwina,
>
> it is phenomenologically not clear to me, how, say, a stone,
> makes by itself (!) a difference between past, present
> and future. I am not intending to contradict your
> contradiction. I do not like *doctrines*... I am just trying
> to better *see*... This may (!) be another way of
> coming up with reality as the usual *causal* one.
>
> Probably we have *very* different philosophical
> pre-understandings such that it is no possible to clarify
> them through this medium, also because of... time!
>
> kind regards
>
> Rafael
>
>
>
Received on Fri Jan 17 19:47:23 2003