Nature of Time

Author(s): Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Z_Mahavir_Jain_Vidyalay_Suvarna_Mahotsav_Granth_Part_1_012002.pdf and Mahavir_Jain_Vidyalay_Suvarna_

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Nature of Time
NAGIN J. SHAH
CA SI see it, we are unlikely to reach any definite conclusions on
n these questions (Determinism vs. Freewill and the problem of causation) until we have a better understanding of the true nature of time"1_these are the words of Sir James Jean, a great scientist. How can it be possible for a person like me to determine the nature of time? So, my task here is to study what the great masters have said about the nature of time. While doing so I shall make a special attempt to explain the Jaina view at length. Western Views :
In the West, Aristotle maintains that time is closely connected with continuous movement. Time is the measure of this continuous movement. In other words, time is a breaking up of continuous movement (numerus motus). Movement presents two features: (i) Movement is an uninterrupted progress of the subject from potentiality to actuality. Thus movement bears the characteristic of unity. (ii) Movement, on the other hand, is also virtually multiple. One can divide it into an indefinite number of parts. “Movement, then, subjected to a simple mental division becomes a number or a multitude.” Thus time is looked upon as made up of two elements, the one formal namely number (numerus), and the other material namely movement (motus).
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1 The Mysterious Universe, p. 20.