What is ‘the perception of time' ?

The very expression ‘the perception of time’ invites objection. Insofar as time is something different from events, we do not perceive time as such, but changes or events in time. But, arguably, we do not perceive events only, but also their temporal relations. So, just as it is natural to say that we perceive spatial distances and other relations between objects (I see the dragonfly as hovering above the surface of the water), it seems natural to talk of perceiving one event following another (the thunderclap as following the flash of lightning), though even here there is a difficulty. For what we perceive, we perceive as present—as going on right now. Can we perceive a relation between two events without also perceiving the events themselves? If not, then it seems we perceive both events as present, in which case we must perceive them as simultaneous, and so not as successive after all. There is then a paradox in the notion of perceiving an event as occurring after another, though one that perhaps admits of a straightforward solution. When we perceive B as coming after A, we have, surely, ceased to perceive A. In which case, A is merely an item in our memory. Now if we wanted to construe ‘perceive’ narrowly, excluding any element of memory, then we would have to say that we do not, after all, perceive B as following A. In the upcoming days we shall construe ‘perceive’ more broadly, to include a wide range of experiences of time that essentially involve the senses. In this wide sense, we perceive a variety of temporal aspects of the world. We shall begin by enumerating these, and then consider accounts of how such perception is possible.

The Experience and Perception of Time

We see colours, hear sounds and feel textures. Some aspects of the world, it seems, are perceived through a particular sense. Others, like shape, are perceived through more than one sense. But what sense or senses do we use when perceiving time? It is certainly not associated with one particular sense. In fact, it seems odd to say that we see, hear or touch time passing. And indeed, even if all our senses were prevented from functioning for a while, we could still notice the passing of time through the changing pattern of our thought. Perhaps, then, we have a special faculty, distinct from the five senses, for detecting time. Or perhaps, as seems more likely, we notice time through perception of other things. But how?

Time perception raises a number of intriguing puzzles.

You will hear more about this from me in the upcoming days.

Logic

Logic is one of the most powerful tools anyone can use, yet it’s strange how in today’s society most people don’t use logic effectively. It’s a skill that most people aren’t taught, and when you’re not taught something, you can’t teach it to other people. Makes sense right? That my reader friend is logic right there. When something just makes sense… logically.

It’s somewhat odd the approach we as a species have taken when it comes to logic. Ever since we were young and had just started to be able to formulate a thought process we have been “taught” things that counteract teaching logic. From “don’t touch that,” to “sit here and be quiet,” we’ve just been told to do things without logical explanation, thus we learn the “do what you’re told” approach rather than “do what makes sense” approach.

Extrapolating the above example, suppose a mother enters an art store with her child. The child being curious by nature could be expected to let their eye’s wander as well as their fingers. When this happens, almost instantly the mother scoffs and says “don’t touch that!” Now a variety of things can happen here.. this variety includes the child continuing to touch things and accidentally costing his mother $1500. Now in the same situation a mother who understands and uses logic could use this opportunity to teach it to their child! Instead of demanding that the child not touch anything, the mother could explain to the child “Don’t touch anything because these items are very fragile and might break. Then mommy will have to pay for them and won’t be able to buy you toys..” Of course she could say a variety of things similar, but the point is that she explained to her child why. Now the child can associate touching the fragile art pieces to not having new toys, thus making touching them directly unpleasant.

Now you might be thinking “wow that makes sense!” Well that’s logic my friend. So if you know someone who likes to do things without legitimate reason (classically defined as irrational), share this with them! If you’re fed up with people telling you to do things that don’t make sense, tell them to either explain it to you or get their act together by reading this ...

Ismail R Raslan 

This New App Transforms Ugly Android Phones Into Beautiful iOS Devices

Maybe for some odd reason you decided to buy an Android phone rather than the iPhone 4S. Maybe you wanted a phone with 3D video and 16 processing cores so you could dual-boot the same crappy games in both Android and Ubuntu at the same time. I do not know your reasons, but if you’re suffering from iPhone envy there’s a new app that can transform your ugly Android device into an iOS styled phone so you can be like the rest of us at Cult of Mac.

The app is called iPhone 4S Screen and it was just released this month on the Google Play store. It doesn’t completely change your phone’s theme like most Android users would hope for, but it does give you a sense of what it would be like if you had Apple’s gorgeous iOS software installed on some mediocre hardware. 

Most of the “apps” in iPhone 4S Screen are really just links to default apps on the Nexus. You tap the Contacts app and it brings up the Galaxy Nexus address book rather than an iOS style address book. Same thing with Settings, Weather, or Camera. They even have a Siri app, but it’s not functional.

Adding to the hilarity of iPhone envy, this app has been downloaded by over 1 million Android users wishing a taste of Apple’s secret sauce. 

Despair

The feeling of despair and hopelessness may seem very appropriate and particular to your situation, but you should know that others have been there and have suffered similar or worse experiences. They have survived to enjoy life and so will you. 



"We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival." - Winston Churchill



All things pass, have they not always before? To counteract the feeling of hopelessness, list those assets and pleasures which you have but seem to be ignoring. Perhaps some of these words will turn your thoughts: family, friends, health, job, home, nature, pets, garden, music, faith, books. Start thinking about the nice things in your life, things you value and make you happy. Leave the negatives behind.



"Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies." - Erich Fromm



The feeling of guilt often results in despair and depression. We should think about the wrong we have done, but just long enough to realize the full extent of what we did. If there is something that can be done about it, consider doing it. The only other thing that we can do is to assure ourselves that we will avoid that mistake in the future. Beyond this, stewing over it and rehashing the event endlessly, will do no good. It is a complete waste of time and makes us feel sick with worry.



Avoid experiences that result in guilt by not judging, blaming, or bringing down other people. Try to find their good points, and try to avoid anger. Be nice to yourself too, accept that you make mistakes, and don't hold a grudge.



One of the best ways to recover from despair, guilt, or sorrow, is to keep busy.



"When all else is lost the future still remains." - Christian Bovee (1820-1904)

Phases of the Moon

This is spectacular a feeling of pure joy swept over you when you scroll down.

Creative MacBook stickers

My Favorite

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