A Rational Cosmology: The Nature of Time

Any change is inevitably a relationship between some multiplicity of entities, since no homogeneous entity can affect a change in its own qualities, and the changes in the qualities of a heterogeneous entity can always be explained via the interactions of the entities that compose it (as a heterogeneous entity consists of smaller entities by definition).

Time is that quality of an entity whose measurements increase as change occurs. It should be noted that the change that must occur in order for the measurement of the quality, "time" to increase is not the change of any particular entity, but any change whatsoever.

As a matter of fact, so long as the very possibility of change exists as an interaction between as few as two entities in the entire universe, the concept of time retains meaning, and each entity's particular measurement of the quality, "time" must necessarily increase. This proposition will be examined in greater detail as the basis for a universal and uniform time scale.

Time can be called a quality of entities, because it can be exhibited by particular entities only. There is no such thing as time. Time is not a factor of some "cosmic fabric" separate from entities. Rather, just as each entity must have a spatial existence, so must it have a temporal existence that is measurable.

An entity's age since the first moment of its existence is the measurement of the quality, "time," exhibited by that entity. An entity's age can only increase and never decrease, even if a given change that had occurred with respect to it has been undone precisely.

For example, an entity with shape A at age X could have its shape transformed to B at age X+1, and then could return shape A at age X+2. This would not reduce the entity's age to X, however, because an entity that experiences a change, and then experiences an inverse change, does not un-experience either of the changes. There is no physical mechanism that can arise after the occurrence of an event and obliterate the occurrence.

The transformation from A to B happened, otherwise the transformation from B to A could not have nullified its effects. If the transformation from B to A were capable of wiping out of history the former transformation from A to B, then it would follow that, the original change not having existed, there could also not have been a change to reverse a non-existent change. Thus, the change assumed to "obliterate" a past event would thereby also obliterate itself and not exist.

From this is evident the impossibility of changing the course of a past event, since whatever would change the past would also need to not exist, and thus would not be able to change the past.

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