The Primum Mobile

March 16, 2007 at 8:02 am (Uncategorized)

If there is one time for more than one motion, how is this so? We can’t account for simultaneity by saying two things relate to one observer, for this cannot explain the simultaneity of any one motion with the observer; and it makes man- or even one observing man- wholly the cause of the unity of time. If the observer is not the cause, then there is some cause outside the observers, which accounts for the unity of time. If time follows motion, then, there is one cause of all motion.

3 Comments

  1. beitiathustra said,

    March 17, 2007 at 6:00 pm

    Why isn’t the observer the cause? [I mean to say: the observer's apparent equidistance between the events in milli-milli-light-seconds would have his position relative to the two events causal in a certain respect, and his taking in of the two events causal in another respect - of the unity of time for him that is]

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  2. a thomist said,

    March 17, 2007 at 6:31 pm

    My thought went like this: the account of simultaneous where the observer is at a midpoint of two events presupposes that an observation can be simultaneous with one event: i.e. my awareness of a light beam, and the lightbeam being present to my consciousness, are simultaneous; or my waiting for the lightbeam to return, and its actual returning, are simultaneous. But the lightbeam example only explains tw light beams, etc.

    Another way of looking at it, which I haven’t fully thought through yet, but I’ll say anyway, is this argument by reduction:

    Everything that is simultaneous in time is being primarily caused by an observer, and

    All causes are simultaneous in time with their effects,

    then the observer is the cause of all causes.

    The conclusion is false, but the minor is true, therefore the major is false.

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  3. beitiathustra said,

    March 18, 2007 at 9:05 am

    I don’t think I see that the minor is true, that is, I think there is some equivocation going on with your use of “simultaneous” between the major and the minor. Cause and effect are only simultaneous if they are touching. An eclipse of the sun caused pagan peoples to make human sacrifices. Therefore, the eclipse and the sacrifice are simultaneous, even with the eight minute light delay? But if you mean cause and effect in terms of touching are simultaneous, then there is no need of observer or light delay.

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