Presentation Manuscript on Time Theory

• Let’s talk about the concept of time.

  • Although it may not directly relate to specific problems because it does not address global issues, it is still a global topic, so we will discuss it.

• Time theory, as the name suggests, is about thinking about time and what it is.

• For example:

  • Can we perceive the “present”?
  • Is time something that can be measured quantitatively like space?

• It is a theory that considers questions like these.

• There are various discussions on this topic, but discussing the nature of time tends to become too philosophical and deviate from literature, and it also becomes too difficult to fully understand. Therefore, I will focus on relatively lighter discussions that are more closely related to literature.

• One of the main axes of opposition is the concept of “Chronos time and Kairos time”.

  • Chronos time, also known as objective time, refers to the mechanical, linear time that clocks measure.
  • Kairos time, also known as subjective time, refers to the inner and subjective experience of time by humans.

• I will talk about these two concepts.

• As a general trend in the history of time:

  • There has been a shift from Kairos to Chronos, from subjective time to objective time.

• In the very distant past, for example, about 1000 years ago, time measurement tools were not widely available, and Chronos time was not widely recognized by the general public.

  • There was not much awareness that time was something quantifiable like distance.
  • They understood that there were cycles of morning and night, and the repetition of seasons, so they perceived time as something that loops.
  • However, with the invention and spread of mechanical clocks, the concept of objective time began to spread.
  • Around the 17th century, Newton introduced the concept of absolute time in physics, using the symbol “t” to describe time numerically. The spread of such ideas contributed to the popularization of objective time and Chronos time.

• In the 18th century, philosophers like Kant and Bergson challenged this understanding of objective time, but I will omit the discussion as it becomes a complex topic of epistemology.

• While history has unfolded in this way,

• The concept of Chronos and Kairos time allows us to explain the “speed of time”.

  • For example, you may feel that the same 50 minutes can have a different “speed of time”, such as when you say “this class was so interesting and time flew by” or “this class was boring and it seemed to never end”.

• When plotted on a graph, it looks like a complicated figure, but the vertical axis represents Kairos and the horizontal axis represents Chronos.

• Related keywords:

  • Psychology, biology, philosophy, natural science, physics, cosmology, and other fields have various approaches to the concept of time. For example, neuroscience focuses on memory, and physics focuses on relativity theory, connecting various disciplines.

• In terms of historical and geographical perspectives:

  • Circular and linear time

• Key ideas and opposing ideas:

  • Chronos time and Kairos time
  • Specific examples
    • Connecting to literature
    • Discussing Kineto, etc.

• http://www.let.osaka-u.ac.jp/genshi/mori/entrance/ikeda/

  • Bergson’s concept of time https://www.nikkei-science.com/sci_book/bessatsu/51180−hajimeni.html

• List of philosophical topics, including Newton

• Historical and geographical perspectives

  • https://museum.seiko.co.jp/knowledge/story_03/

Circular time, Abstract time Industrial Revolution

(In Aoyama’s context)

• In the context of literature:

  • The plot determines how the fictional world of a story progresses, including how time is described.
  • Order, duration, and frequency are the key points in describing time.- What is the positioning of the flashback scenes that occur during interruptions?

• There are books in the library that talk about something.

  • Humans do not have a well-developed sense of time (compared to spatial awareness).

• The following is from “Philosophizing ‘Time’: Where did the past go?”

• Thoughts:

  • It doesn’t touch upon synchronicity with other people. I wonder why.
    • Is it because both other people and other events are perceived as non-self?
    • Or is it simply a matter of not paying attention?