eTime: The
Need for a Cybertime Epoch
J.
P. S.
Abstract
Based on a
review of the Concept of Time in Philosophy,
Physics, Biology and Psychology, the paper
argues that developments in Cyber-connectivity
highlight the absurdity of treating Time and
space as a unitary dimension. The paper also
examines various measures of time currently
available and argues that none of the measures
meet the needs of commerce and law for
transactions carried out in the cyberspace. It
suggests that cyber connectivity presents a
unique opportunity to the scientific world to
de-link Time from Space and free it from the
Geo-link. It therefore suggests that a new
measure of the time and epoch, called eTime be
introduced to fulfil the need for a Cybertime
epoch. The paper further suggests that the
assumed zero of eTime should either be the
origin of the concept of cyberspace by the
Defense Advanced Research Project Agency or the
epoch of signing 'A Declaration of Independence
of Cyberspace', i.e. Fri, Feb 9, 1996 17:16:35
+0100 at Davos, Switzerland.
The
Events
There are
times when I receive an instantaneous response
to my email and I know that both my respondent
and me are there at our respective computers
though separated in space. But then there are
occasions when I scratch my head to figure out
as to when might a particular email have been
sent, marked as it is with the server time. My
simple mind understands that there need not be
any relationship between the user and the server
locations. Thus the task of identifying time of
origin of an email becomes a bit difficult for
an ordinary mortal. I know that it does not
bother most people and it certainly does not
bother the computer savvy. Yet I think even
ordinary mortal's queries need to be respected.
So I wonder if there is space for additional
time.
The
Time
In the human
consciousness, time consists of a uniform
unidirectional, irreversible passage that
appears to be an inevitable, inexorable flow
that only moves forward and is marked by a
certain death in future.
In Philosophy,
time has been variously seen and understood as
an illusion (P.
and Z.),
a flow that encompasses illusoriness of the
world (Indian Philosophy) or a flow that
envelops illusory life (B.,
P.
and P.)
or even a flow which is the essence of reality
(H.).
These diverse interpretations of the human
observation of time have led to sharp
differences in perception of ultimate reality.
Yet, regardless of the differences in
philosophical understanding of time, one thing
is clear that all philosophy assumes time to be
an entity with independent existence.
The
scientific concept of time. The credit for
linking a singular entity of time with space and
converting two entities in to one unitary
space-time entity goes to H.
M., a
Lithuanian-German mathematician.
M.,
in his classic interpretation of
E's
special theory of relativity made it clear that
physics has to do only with a unitary space-time
entity in which timelike and spacelike
directions can be distinguished. By inference,
'Time' exists since space exists and either they
exist together or they don't exist at all. This
development was the logical culmination
of
I. N.'s
distinction between 'absolute' time and
"relative, apparent and common time". His
'absolute time' was an ideal scale of time that
made the laws of mechanics simpler. The
integration of space and time in the theory of
relativity makes it harder to conceive of
immaterial minds that exist in time but are not
even localizable in space. Apparently the need
for a composite Time-space entity arose because
all awareness of time was based on movement and
change in the space surrounding the
observer.
The Biological
view of time. That organisms have some sort of
internal clock that regulates their behaviour is
quite well established. This fact refutes the
contention that time is perceived only as a
relation between successive sensations as
propounded by L.
N.
W. has
speculated that the human time sense depends on
the alpha rhythm of electrical oscillation in
the brain. This understanding once again
de-links time from its space connectivity. The
Parapsychological phenomenon of precognition
also implies that time is an independent
entity.
The e-view of
time. Prima facie, there is no e-view of time.
Yet, introduction of connectivity offers a
unique opportunity to once again challenge the
space-time linkage established by
N.-E.-M.
logic. This is so as the cyber-connectivity
exists independent of space as conceived in
Physics. This has been established and further
asserted with 'A
Declaration of the Independence of
Cyberspace'.
The
Measurement
Although
defining time presents difficulties, measuring
it does not. The accuracy in specifying time is
needed for civil, commercial and scientific
purposes. As a result, time is the most
accurately measured entity.
A time
measurement assigns a unique number to an epoch,
which specifies the moment when an instantaneous
event occurs. The civil measurement of time is
based on the consciousness of regular change
rooted in "the repetitions of any recurring
phenomenon and possibly subdividing the interval
between repetitions". Such phenomena make up
much of the subject matter of astronomy,
physics, chemistry, biology and geology. Thus
time has been measured based on manifestations
of gravitation, electromagnetism, rotational
inertia and radioactivity.
But
historically, three civilizations, the Chinese,
Hindus and Greeks saw cosmic time as moving in
an alternating rhythm; as Yin and Yang among the
Chinese, love and strife among Greeks and
recurrent Kalpas (eons) among Hindus.
The
Hindu
measurement
of kalpas, though intuitively arrived at,
matches in magnitude to those reached by modern
astronomers through meticulous observations and
calculations. Similarly, Aztecs of Meso-America
rivaled modern westerners and the Hindus in the
scale on which they envisaged the flow of time
and an astonishingly accurate time count by
inventing a set of interlocking cycles of
different lengths.
Mankind rooted
the measurement of time in the visible
regularity of movement of Sun and Moon giving
birth to the Solar and Lunar calendars. Over
time, the alignment of this measurement got
refined to the planetary movement to the tenth
decimal point. Additional measuring scales were
designed to meet different needs. Thus we have
Sidereal Time, Solar time, Universal Time,
Dynamical Time, Civil and Standard Times, Atomic
Time, Pulsar Time and Radiometric
Time.
The contention
of the present commentary is that none of these
time measurements meet the needs of e-community
as is obvious from the opening remarks of this
paper.
The
Change
A key change
as a result of the cyber-connectivity is that
today events are taking place in the
simultaneous and connected consciousness of
several persons located in different places,
something that did not much exist earlier and
therefore did not require much thought. This is
so as with cyber connectivity, the interacting
persons, though located in different places
(time zones) and recording different (local)
time, in actuality are existing, transacting,
relating and thinking at the same time together
in the cyber-world.
It is
interesting to note that as a result of this
change in the cyberspace, one can experience the
absurd, like seeing tomorrow's newspaper today
or reading Today's paper yesterday. Like when
sitting in the US on any given day one can read
the morning paper published from New Delhi or
Mumbai that is date marked for Tomorrow.
Similarly, one can enter an e-business deal that
is signed together but described in different
times.
Such events
demand to be recorded in a time frame (epoch)
that is not rooted in geo concept of space and
is an independent entity. Thus there is a need
to describe such cyber-world events in a cyber
concept of time. This is the only way the
cyber-community will have a precise description
of events in cyberspace, a need that is so
central to human existence. Whether Physics
needs to re-examine the issue is a matter of
judgement of physicists. The cyber community
must take its own decision and take the
independence of cyberspace a small step
forward.
The
Irony
The irony of
the situation becomes apparent when we peruse 'A
Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace'
by J.
P. B.,
the Co-founder of Electronic Frontier
Foundation. The document dated 'Fri, Feb 9, 1996
17:16:35 +0100' reads: "Yesterday that great
invertebrate in the White House signed into the
law
.". The document ends with recording
the date at the bottom as Feb 8, 1996 Davos,
Switzerland.
The
Solution
It is
important that the global community recongnize
and initiate the measurment of etime beginning
with an assumed zero. Although cyberspace, "a
world that is both everywhere and nowhere, but
it is not where bodies live" got established
somewhat earlier and the moment of establishment
of cyberspace would have a legitimate claim to
the origin of eTime, perhaps an equally
favourable moment (epoch) is the moment of
signing of the Declaration of Independence of
Cyberspace. Thus a clock measuring eTime must be
installed, preferably at the place of origin of
the concept of cyberspace in the Defense
Advanced Research Project Agency of the US or in
Davos, the place of Declaration of Independence
of Cyberspace, to record eTime that can give an
appropriate description of events in the
cyberspace. The latter step will require the
magnanimity of ignoring the introductory unkind
remarks by Barlow while writing the
'Declaration'. Once accepted, all e-records,
e-relations and e-transactions will be
accurately recorded in eTime. This will be not
only appropriate for commerce and law but will
also be easier on the human mind. This will also
eliminate the political overtones arising from
the Swatch challange to GMT and the British
Prime Minister's stated desire to make GMT a
basis for all electronic communication. While
using GMT as the reference is possible,
particularly if it is backed by the United
States with its dominance in the cyber domain,
it is not a scientific necessity. The honor of
providing assumed zero belongs either to the
DARPA as originator of the concept of remote
computer connectivity and to USA with its
centrality in the cyber world and as originator
of cyberspace, or to the global event that first
recognized the independence of cyberspace from
the present laws and practices.
Stragely, most
references to eTime refer merely to the elapsed
time for computer operations which is no
different from the time taken for any other
activity except for the miniscule size of time.
M Ethan Katsh in his essay entitled Cybertime,
Cyberspace & Cyberlaw comes close to
delinking time from space in the context of
computer age but merely alludes to liklihood of
treating time differently in future and without
voicing the need for a new epoch of time. While
GMT will continue to have its relevance in
describing the civil time, though with a little
lesser shine, the future clearly belongs to the
cybertime. For all thoughts, relationships and
transactions in cyber domain, there can be only
an eTime, a new epoch for the
cybertime.
place
original article
more
articles on time
References
A Declaration
of Independence of Cyberspace. J.
P. .B
Cybertime,
Cyberspace &
Cyberlaw.
M
E. K..
1995. J. Online L. Art 1
History
of Internet. ARPANET
McGraw
Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology.
18th Ed., McGraw Hill, 1997, Vol. 18, p
426-434
The
New Encyclopaedia
Britannica
15th Ed., Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 1994,
Vol. 28, p 662-673.
_____
Dr.
J. P. S. is a Professor at the Indian Institute
of Management, Ahmedabad
Completed:
Sept 14, 2000