The End of Time (book)
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Popular science, Physics |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Julian Barbour |
| Products | Popular science book on the nature of time |
The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, alternatively titled The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 popular science publication by Julian Barbour that presents the argument that time does not truly exist.
Autobiography
Barbour’s perspective on time developed during his graduate studies and doctoral research focused on Einstein's theory of gravity in Cologne. Drawing inspiration from Ernst Mach’s concept that time is simply change and a comment made by Paul Dirac, he dedicated himself to reformulating physics without incorporating time as a fundamental element. His work as a translator outside the academic environment provided him the independence to pursue this research autonomously.
After nearly twenty years, he recognized that his findings closely paralleled the established ADM formalism and almost ceased his investigations to concentrate on political matters and writing about the history of physics. However, renewed engagement followed conversations with Lee Smolin concerning quantum mechanics, which led him to assert that if Machian dynamics hold true, then quantum cosmology must inherently be timeless and lack any frame of reference. Barbour acknowledges that John Stewart Bell’s 1980 proposal of "quantum mechanics for cosmologists" shares many similarities with his own views, except regarding the ontological status of time.
Possibility
Barbour recounts encountering Dirac’s skepticism about the fundamental reality of four-dimensional spacetime, which motivated him to delve deeper into investigating the essence of time.
Despite its counterintuitive nature, Barbour initially contends that our subjective experiences are compatible with a universe devoid of time. He points out that scientific fields such as atomic theory reject the notion of persistent identity over temporal intervals, demonstrating that matter is continually reconfigured, which challenges the idea of enduring objects.
In response to objections rooted in everyday language employing tensed verbs, Barbour argues that future physical theories will eliminate temporal terminology even though current linguistic practices retain it.
He envisions a cosmos composed of timeless instants—snapshots of matter’s configuration without any duration—that nevertheless generate the perception of temporal flow. Consciousness and the experience of “now” emerge from "time-capsule" brains containing information about a recent past, not through causal sequences but as an essential feature enabling thought.
To account for our conviction in past occurrences, Barbour examines how historical 'records' are formed, emphasizing evidence such as traces found in a cloud chamber. Apart from rejecting time’s existence, he credits John Bell with resolving numerous associated conceptual challenges.
Barbour investigates configuration spaces and employs best-matching mathematical techniques to formulate physics absent time, designating this timeless realm "Platonia," inspired by Plato’s concept of eternal forms.
Plausibility
Barbour maintains that the genuine object and reference frame for the universe is an instant within configuration space rather than matter located in space-time. He substantiates this claim through unconventional analyses of relativity, many-worlds interpretations, and the ADM formalism. Championing a physics framework without time, he reevaluates laws such as the Wheeler–DeWitt equation, which acquire potent new interpretations when time is excluded. He argues that traditional notions of time have hindered scientific advancement and foresees an impending paradigm shift. Barbour proposes that the wave function is shaped by the “landscape” of Platonia.
He concludes by discussing the consequences of "the end of time": in the absence of a temporal arrow, there is no process of becoming, only static being, with "creation" existing equivalently at every instant.
Criticism and reviews
Although Barbour's scholarly work is published in academic outlets, The End of Time is aimed at a wider audience interested in philosophical topics. The publication has elicited feedback from experts in philosophy.
Building upon his concepts, Barbour's 2009 paper On the Nature of Time received first place in an FQXi competition. In this essay, he sought to reinforce the argument for removing time as a fundamental component in classical physics by employing basic equations alongside novel reasoning. Additional related studies have been released subsequently.
Editions
- The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics, Oxford University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-297-81985-2
- ———, OUP USA, 2000, ISBN 0-19-511729-8
- The End of Time: The next revolution in our understanding of the universe, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999, ISBN 0-297-81985-2
- ———, Phoenix paperback, 2000, ISBN 0-7538-1020-4
Reviews
- Simon W. Saunders, "Clock Watcher", The New York Times, March 26, 2000
- Jeremy Butterfield, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 2002, vol. 53(2), pp. 289–330