What is time?

We explain what time is and what its different meanings are according to each discipline. In addition, time in philosophy and physics.

1. What is time?

Time the term comes from the Latin tempus , defined  c omo the duration of things that are subject to change . However, its meaning varies according to the discipline that addresses it.

2. Physics time

From Physics it is possible to define time as the separation of events that are subject to change. It is also understood as an event flow . In this way the events are organized in sequences, allowing to determine the future, the present and the past. The International System of Units determined the second (S) as the basic unit of time.

In relativistic mechanics, the concept of time acquires greater complexity when it comes to being defined. This notion arises in opposition to the classical school, where it was understood that time was something absolute, that is, it is a magnitude exactly the same for all those who observe it . In relativistic mechanics it is understood that time values ​​may vary depending on the observer, the reference system used and the point where the observer is.

3. Time in philosophy

From Philosophy , time can also be defined in various ways . This is a concept that has been treated since the ancient Greeks and still is today.

• From an Aristotelian conception  this notion is related to movement , as in physics. That is why time was defined as that measure of movement in relation to the preceded and the happened.
• Other philosophers like St. Augustine relate time to the soul. This relationship is due to the fact that the past is something that no longer exists, the future something that will come and the present slips away, transforming itself into a memory, that is to say in the past.
• From the Kantian theory , time is understood as a way of intuiting what happened, a virtue that belongs exclusively to man . Within this conception, time is not related to movement or to the external to people , if not as something internal and personal, which allows to organize intimate experiences.
• Currently there are various positions in philosophy when defining time, and for this purpose various currents are used, such as existentialism , historicism, etc. For example, there are philosophers who define time as a conformation of two temporalities, one external and one internal. Other scholars define time as the human essence.

Finally, we can mention another meaning of time, referred to atmospheric time. In this case, it is defined as an atmospheric state at a given time and place . In other words, it depends on factors such as atmospheric pressure , temperature, cloudiness or lack thereof, wind and its peculiarities, humidity, among others, always within a certain space.