The Notion of Time and Space as Relations Between Individuated Instantiations

In the framework we’ve been developing, time and space are not independent, fixed entities. Instead, they are relational dimensions defined by the interactions between individuated instantiations of meaning. This perspective offers a more fluid and dynamic understanding of the unfolding of processes. Let’s unpack this in detail:

1. Individuation and Instantiation

Individuation refers to the cumulative effect of repeated instantiations, whereby the meaning potentials of a given collective meaning potential come to differ from each other over time. It is through individuation that meaning potentials become differentiated, based on their histories of instantiation. This makes each instance—whether it’s a moment of time, a spatial relation, or an object—distinct in how it interacts with other instances.

Instantiation, on the other hand, is the actualisation of meaning potential. It is the process through which meaning potentials are realised in specific, tangible forms. When we speak of time and space as relations between individuated instantiations, we mean that the unfolding of time and the positioning of objects are outcomes of how distinct, individuated instances interact with each other.

2. Time and Space as Relational

Space is not a static backdrop in which objects are placed. Instead, it is a relational dimension that emerges through how objects or instances interact with one another. Space is constituted by the interactions between individuated instances—each new position, whether we consider an object in the cosmos or a specific location within a room, is shaped by how it relates to other instances.

Similarly, time is not an absolute flow from past to future but is constituted by the relations between unfolding processes. Each moment of time, in this view, is a relational outcome of how one process influences or is influenced by another. Time, therefore, is not something that "passes" or ticks on a clock but is actively shaped by the way events unfold and interact with each other.

3. The Centre of Mass (Gravitational Field) and Time-Space Relations

In our framework, the role of the centre of mass (or gravitational field) is key to understanding how space and time contract or dilate. However, it's not the observer's position in space-time that determines the experience of time and space. Rather, it’s the relation between the instance being observed and the centre of mass that influences the unfolding of time and space. The closer an instance is to a gravitational field (which can be seen as a concentration of meaning potential), the more space and time contract or stretch in relation to it.

This reflects a more interactive and fluid view of time and space. It’s not that time and space are abstract dimensions in which events occur; they emerge from the relational interactions between instances. The more instances interact, the more the dimensions of time and space evolve accordingly.

4. Time as the Dimension of Unfolding Processes

In this view, time is intimately tied to the unfolding of events—it is the relational dimension along which processes unfold. Time itself is not a neutral backdrop, but is actively shaped by the processes that interact across it. Time is not a fixed quantity; rather, it is the dimension where processes are experienced, and its "passage" is directly shaped by the relations between instances of meaning potential and their actualisations.

5. The Semiotic Dimension of Time and Space

From a semiotic perspective, we could say that time and space are construed through the meanings we assign to our experiences. Time, in this model, is not something that "happens" to us; it is something we make sense of by interpreting the unfolding of processes. The same goes for space: we do not simply "exist in space"; rather, space emerges as a relational construct based on how we individuate and interpret our position relative to other instances.

Why This Matters for Our Understanding of Reality

This relational view of time and space challenges the classical, Newtonian notion of them as fixed, objective containers in which events take place. Instead, time and space are dynamic—they emerge from the relations between individuated, actualised moments. This view aligns with our broader interest in meaning-making, where time and space are no longer passive backdrops, but integral to the semiotic process that constitutes our experience of reality.

This perspective also opens up new ways to think about change, movement, and growth. Rather than viewing space and time as static, we see them as evolving dimensions that shift based on how instances of meaning interact and become individuated.