Chapter 1: Introduction to the Nautilus Time Project

This article serves as a gateway to Nautilus’ month-long investigation into the intersection of time, science, and art. Initially released on June 7, 2018, this exploration is a collaboration between Beth Jacobs and Lee Smolin.

When Lee Smolin’s acclaimed book Time Reborn was celebrated at my home in 2015, it sparked a conversation that I had been pursuing with him for years: What if we convened a diverse group of innovative artists and scientists whose work reflects their unique perspectives on time? This would be an incredible opportunity to explore the concept of time alongside individuals whose creations have profoundly influenced our perception of the world.

This vision became a reality. Lee’s exceptional ability to contemplate time from both fundamental and historical viewpoints, along with his talent for articulating complex ideas to a wide audience, guided our selection of contributors and the direction of their writings. My role was to inspire these authors to reflect deeply on the notion of time and its influence on their creative methodologies and practices.

The outcome is a series of essays, set to be featured in Nautilus throughout the month, authored by painters, sculptors, musicians, filmmakers, curators, and a neuroscientist, each offering their insights on the essence of time as they interpret it.

Welcome to the Time Project. Enjoy the exploration.

— Beth Jacobs

Managing Partner, Excellentia Global Partners

Chapter 2: The Evolution of Scientific Thought

Over the past century, scientific paradigms have undergone several transformative revolutions. In the realm of physics, the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics have radically altered our comprehension of the universe. However, these two groundbreaking theories, initiated by Einstein, are at odds with each other, indicating that they remain incomplete. Similarly, biology has experienced a dual transformation, both heavily influenced by Darwin. The most significant of these is the neo-Darwinian synthesis, which, through molecular biology, offers a detailed understanding of life's processes at the microscopic level. Concurrently, an ecological perspective has emerged, focusing on complex systems. Today, systems biology endeavors to merge these two approaches.

These advancements can be linked through four overarching themes:

1. The shift away from a reductionist Newtonian paradigm, where a system's state is fully describable and changes predictably and reversibly over time.
2. The acceptance of change that is discontinuous, irreversible, and not entirely predictable. Examples include speciation and extinction in evolution, as discussed by Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin, as well as phase transitions in physics.
3. The recognition of critical phenomena, where qualitative changes in a system’s internal structure manifest simultaneously across various scales.
4. The understanding that nature has the capacity to create unexpected novelty, including new states of organization governed by unique laws.

I propose that two closely linked conceptual revolutions clarify and unify these shifts, with potential implications extending beyond the realm of science.

The first revolution pertains to our understanding of time, transitioning from viewing time as mere rearrangements of unchanging atomic elements to recognizing it as a process that perpetually generates new events, thereby shaping the future from the present. This signifies a move from a deterministic and reversible concept of time to one that is generative and irreversible. In the traditional view, time could be perceived as akin to space—unessential and therefore dispensable. In contrast, the new perspective regards time as vital and irreversible, as it engenders true novelty.

The second revolution relates to the nature of properties. The older understanding posits properties as absolute and reductionist, suggesting that an atom’s characteristics remain unchanged regardless of external influences. The contemporary viewpoint, however, sees properties defined only in the context of the system that encompasses them. A pivotal example of this shift is the transition from Newton’s absolute concept of space to the relational understanding advanced by Leibniz and realized in Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

This leads to an intriguing question: Can these two revolutions provide insight into the significant changes that have occurred in the art world over the same timeframe? Can we interpret the evolution from classicism to modernism, postmodernism, and beyond through the lens of changes in our concepts of time and property?

— Lee Smolin

Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada

Discover Lee Smolin's revolutionary ideas on time in this engaging presentation.

Explore the concept of time as an illusion, as discussed by leading physicists.