Mind The Gap. A Cognitive Perspective on the flow of time in physics

I offer a new perspective on the flow of time in physics. The problem of the flow of time is about two different questions. Firstly, is the picture of time in physics complete when the flow of time is not added explicitly to the Block Universe? Secondly, is the flow of time an objective feature of nature or is it a structure of the human mind? The first question has been answered by Steven Savitt. Regardless of whether the flow of time is mind-dependent or mind-independent, the block universe already captures it and offers a complete picture. The debate between presentists and eternalists can be reconciled, because both the ÔdynamicÕ A-series and the ÔstaticÕ B-series of McTaggart can be reconciled. I will show from a cognitive perspective that Savitt is right. ÔFlow of TimeÕ that can be understood as Ôthe moving presentÕ or ÔbecomingÕ, is a spatial metaphor and analogy. The role of metaphors and analogies in human thinking has not been related to the problem of the flow of time before. However, spatial analogies to understand time are important in our picture of time in physics.

I have been searching for the answer to the second question in perception research. Different models show us the relation between the temporal content of perception of the present and the time it takes for the brain to make this perception. Motion illusion effects show that the experience of the moving present is created by mental mechanisms. Whether the ÔnowÕ is a construction of the brain or something that exists in the physical world, is still an open question.