Time and the river of existence (1405.1200v1)

Abstract: Time is one of those issues about which many thinkers and scientists have tried to pronounce their finest thoughts, but the discourse about time has remained vague and often inconsistent. In this paper we put forward a conceptual framework inside which the issue of time should be addressed and solved. We argue that time is an abstract entity created by the human mind, not an ingredient of physical reality as physics normally assumes. Physical reality is a process of ceaseless becoming and vanishing; time is not a part of that process. Time does not flow: time is the artificial bank in relation to which we measure the intensity and amount of the flow (change) of physical reality. It is necessary to differentiate physical reality and abstract entities by means of which we describe this reality. It is necessary to differentiate formulas from their interpretations: a correct formula can be interpreted in a logically inconsistent and factually wrong way.