Time.
Such a small word.
Such a big impact on our lives.
The "Space/Time" chapter in The Theory Toolbox raises some interesting questions about our concept of time.
The authors of the book allege that time is merely a social construct designed to keep the proletariat under control.
I disagree.
Sure, the historical reasoning presented in the chapter may have laid the foundation for the eight-hour workday we are familiar with today, but I'm sure many of you would agree that there are other, more immediately practical reasons for the nine-to-five grind.
For example, this eight-hour schedule has the populace working during the daylight hours, when less artificial lighting is used, thus saving electricity.
Secondly, our workday takes place during the daylight hours because our bodies are designed to respond to darkness with lethargy, and to bright light with awareness. Therefore, we work during the hours in which we are most alert and able to carry out our jobs best.
The other reason why time is not a social concept is because it is based on nature. Some of the ways we visualize time, such as the three-hundred-sixty-degree clock face, are merely representations, not absolute truths.
However, the base concept of measuring time, the Earth's location in relation to the Sun, is a natural absolute: the Sun appears to rise, and the Sun appears to set. It takes three hundred sixty-five of these sunrises and sunsets before we experience the exact same hours of sunlight and darkness.
Therefore, the Sun is our natural measurement. The rest is just a series of happy patterns discovered by some mathematicians with way too much time on their hands.
Hi Arceli, Thanks for the reflection on time. The -Toolbox- does omit the organic and scientific when discussing time. But I think the question, "who controls time," is interesting to consider. This is certainly something socially constructed. dw
ReplyDelete