The layers that build up the notion of time

Abstract

Confusion and disagreement around the notion of time is due to the fact that we often fail to recognize that we call 'time' a variety of distinct notions, only partially related to one another. Many apparently obvious properties of time are results of different kinds of approximations, idealizations, or special contexts. I illustrate a number of distinct notions of time, their differences and relations; they are all relevant for describing the real world. To understand time, we have to break it apart.

7 pages, Contribution to the volume 'Time and Science', R. Lestienne and P. Harris eds., World Scientific