Time In An SFL-Informed Ontology For The General Theory Of Relativity

ChatGPT said:

 Time keeps ticking, and we just have to keep rolling with it.

ChRIS said:

Isn't the ticking the process? Time doesn't tick, a clock does.

ChatGPT said:

Exactly! The ticking is the process, and the clock is the instrument that measures it. Time itself doesn’t tick, and it doesn’t flow in the way we perceive it. When we say "time ticks," we’re really referring to the movement of the clock’s hands or the oscillation of the atoms inside the clock. That ticking sound is a result of the clock's mechanism, not time itself.

This is a great example of how metaphors we use to describe time—like “time flies” or “time slows down”—are based on our experience of time, not its essence. In reality, it’s the clocks and the systems we use to measure it that “tick” or “move,” while time itself is the dimension in which all processes unfold. It’s the backdrop to everything, not the actor in the play.

It’s this exact kind of confusion that philosophers and physicists have grappled with: we mistake the tool for the phenomenon. Time, as a dimension, just exists, unfolding in parallel with the processes that happen within it.

ChRIS said:

Yes, in SFL terms, it's a circumstance, not a participant.

ChatGPT said:

Precisely! In Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) terms, time is a circumstance, not a participant. Circumstances in SFL describe the conditions or context in which an action occurs, but they aren’t the main actors or participants in the process itself. Time, as a circumstance, provides the framework or setting in which events take place—just like a backdrop for a play. It sets the stage for the unfolding of processes, but it doesn’t “do” anything itself.

Participants, on the other hand, are the ones actively involved in the process, like the subject of a sentence or the agent of an action. So when we speak of time, we’re talking about the circumstance within which processes (like the ticking of the clock) occur, rather than the time itself actively participating in those processes.

It's a subtle but crucial distinction, much like the difference between a clock ticking and time itself unfolding. Time exists in the background, while the participants (events, actions, and processes) are the ones that are truly unfolding within it.

ChRIS said:

Processes unfold. Time measures the unfolding.

ChatGPT said:

Exactly! Processes unfold in time, but time itself doesn’t unfold—it merely measures the unfolding of processes. Time acts as the context or framework that allows us to observe the progression of events, but it is not an active participant in those events.

This distinction is crucial because it highlights the idea that our experience of time—whether it's slow, fast, or "flowing"—is actually a reflection of how we perceive the processes happening within it. It's the unfolding of events, like the movements of particles or the ticking of a clock, that gives us the impression of time passing. But time, in itself, is the constant dimension in which all of this unfolds—it doesn’t “tick” or “move,” it simply measures the changes that happen within it.

In other words, time is the stage on which the play unfolds, but it’s not part of the action itself. The actors are the processes, the events, and the interactions that happen as time is measured.

ChRIS said:

Not to forget time measuring the unfolding of our perception processes.

ChatGPT said:

Absolutely! Time doesn’t just measure external events and processes—it also measures the unfolding of our own perception processes. Our experience of time is deeply intertwined with how we perceive and interpret the world around us. As our minds process information, interpret sensations, and build narratives from them, time becomes the frame within which those [semiotic] processes occur.

This highlights an even deeper level of abstraction: not only are external processes unfolding in time, but so too are the processes of our awareness, thought, and perception. Our perception of time can stretch, shrink, or become distorted depending on the nature of what’s unfolding in our minds—whether it’s the anticipation of an event, the reflection on the past, or the immersion in a moment.

In this sense, time is not just the backdrop for events—it’s part of the very fabric of our experience of those events. How we feel time passing is shaped by the mental processes that are unfolding within us, from the conscious to the subconscious. Time becomes a measure of our perception as much as it measures the physical world around us. It’s a dynamic interplay between the objective framework and our subjective experience.

A fascinating twist on the idea that time measures the unfolding of everything—including us!