DracoMan
NCIS Special Agent
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2008
- Messages
- 3,591
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Come to think of it, this interesting question had me ask myself what "present" actually is.
Does the present actually exist?
What we consider as present is always a period of a certain length, for example, one second. However, we can divide a second into 10 tenths. Now let me give you an example: Granted that seven tenths have already passed. The present is still going on, because the second is not over yet. But what's with those seven tenths which have already passed? They consequently have to be considered as past. So, we have present (three tenths yet to go) and past (seven tenths which have already gone by) at the same time which is illogical. Thus, we have to shorten that period which we consider as present. Maybe we then regard one tenths of a second as present. But again, this one tenth of a second can be subdivided into uncountable infinite units. As the whole procedure will go on forever, this will inevitably lead to a "regressus ad infinitum" (regression to the infinite) and suggest that there is no present at all!
Could it really be?
I for one can't find a logical mistake in my thoughts, so could it really be that the present is only a man-made illusion?
Remind me to tell you about Xeno's Paradoxes.