The present is the time that is perceived directly, not as a recollection or a speculation. It is often considered as a point in space-time, often called now, but it may also be viewed as a duration (see specious present). Look up present in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information. ... A spatial point is an entity with a location in space but no extent (volume, area or length). ... In special relativity and general relativity, time and three-dimensional space are treated together as a single four-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian manifold called spacetime. ... The specious present is the time duration wherein ones perceptions are considered to be in the present. ...

When comparing time in places separated by great distances, the notion of present becomes unclear. For example, we visually perceive stars to be where they were when the light now reaching our eyes was emitted, because even though light travels at approximately 3 x 10⁸ m/s it takes many years to reach us. This article is about the astronomical object. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The speed of light in vacuum is an important physical constant denoted by the letter c for constant or the Latin word celeritas meaning swiftness.[1] It is the speed of all electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, in a vacuum. ...

When used in the term "Before Present" (BP), as used in expressing ages or dates determined by radiocarbon dating, "Present" is defined as AD 1950. Before Present (BP) years are the units of time (counted backwards to the past) used to report raw radiocarbon ages and dates referenced to the BP scale origin in the year AD 1950 (identical to 1950 CE). ... Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring isotope carbon-14 (14C) to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Modern physics has not yet been able to explain what we normally understand by 'now'. Furthermore, there is no demonstrable reason why time should move in any one particular direction. This has led to the conclusion that the idea of a present is illusory and does not reflect the true nature of reality. The notion of "now" may be better understood as an unrealistic concept that has evolved in humans and animals to give us an understanding of reality useful only to the extent necessary for survival. A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Reality (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Concept (disambiguation). ... This article is about evolution in biology. ...

The present according to Special Relativity

It follows from Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity that there is no such thing as objective simultaneity. Therefore, if we define "present" to be the collection of events that are simultaneous with a given event, then "present" is only subjectively defined. A way to be in the present: the present is the immediate future. For a less technical and generally accessible introduction to the topic, see Introduction to special relativity. ...

A philosophical problem

"The present" also raises another difficult question: "How is it that all sentient beings experience "now" at the same time?" There is no logical reason why this should be the case and no easy answer to the question. For example, say somebody named John is experiencing a great deal of pain. John's friend Fred takes pity on John because of John's situation. The problem is: is it logical for Fred to feel bad for John at present, when there is no way to prove that both John and Fred experience the same temporal existence? (See also Solipsism and Philosophy of mind.) Temporal Parts are used in contemporary metaphysics in the debate over persistence of material objects. ... Solipsism is the philosophical idea that My mind is the only thing that exists. Solipsism (Latin: solus, alone + ipse, self) is an epistemological or metaphysical position that knowledge of anything outside the mind is unjustified. ... A phrenological mapping of the brain. ...

The present in Buddhism

Buddhism and many of its derivative philosophies emphasize the importance of living in the present moment — being fully aware of what is happening, and not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. This does not mean that they encourage hedonism, but merely that through constantly focusing on one's current position in space and time (rather than future considerations, or past reminiscence) will aid one in the attempt to abandon selfhood.^{[citation needed]} A number of meditative techniques aim to help the practicer live in the present moment. A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ... The past is the portion of the timeline that has already occurred; it is the opposite of the future. ... For other uses, see Future (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any sources. ... For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ...

Christianity and the Now of Eternity

God is viewed as being outside of time and from the divine perspective past, present and future are actualised in the now of eternity. Saint Thomas Aquinas used the image of a watchman, representing God, standing on a height looking down on a valley where past present and future, represented by the individuals and their actions strung out along its length, are all visible simultaneously to God. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

Quotes

Media:Example. ... Alfred North Whitehead, OM (February 15, 1861 Ramsgate, Kent, England – December 30, 1947 Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) was an English-born mathematician who became a philosopher. ...

See also

• Arrow of time
• Future
• Surcey
• Here
• Past
• Presentism
• A-series and B-series
• SVO-p
• Present Moment

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Future (disambiguation). ... For the popular songs see Here (In Your Arms) and Here (song) Look up here in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The past is the portion of the timeline that has already occurred; it is the opposite of the future. ... In the philosophy of time, presentism is the belief that neither the future nor the past exists. ... A-series and B-series are terms introduced by the Scottish idealist philosopher John McTaggart in 1908 which have become classic terms of reference in modern discussions of the philosophy of time, even outside the analytic tradition. ... In linguistic typology, SVO-p - Subject, Verb, Object, present tense is a sentence structure where the agent comes first, the verb second, and the object third and staying in the present. ... The Present Moment is an idea found in Philosophy and Zen Buddism. ...

References

• Greene, Brian, (2004). The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-41288-3
• Stepath, Katrin, (2006). Gegenwartskonzepte., Würzburg. ISBN 3-8260-3292-6

External links

• The Experience and Perception of Time