From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!rpi!scott.skidmore.edu!psinntp!psinntp!bony1!richieb Fri Sep  4 09:41:01 EDT 1992
Article 6698 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
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>From: richieb@bony1.bony.com (Richard Bielak)
Subject: Sense of time (was Re: Consiousness)
Message-ID: <1992Aug25.122721.20724@bony1.bony.com>
Organization: multi-cellular
References: <1992Aug24.095016.3313@otago.ac.nz>
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 12:27:21 GMT
Lines: 38

>
>In article <1992Aug23.014900.16178@news.Hawaii.Edu>, lady@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Lee Lady) writes:
>> 
>> It seems to me that one of the things that distinquishes humans from
>> other animals is that humans (at least in most cultures) have a real
>> sense of time, a sense of the past and future. 

[...]
>> 
>One could figure out experiments but teh problem with animals is that we can't
>ask them what there reasons for their actions are.  My feeling is that the
>time sense is more developed in humans than most other animals but it is
>impossible to argue that it is totally lacking elsewhere.  A good point to 
>remember is that humans are just animals and any faculty found in humans is
>found elsewhere in nature.  Dogs probably think something similar about 
>humans.
>
>Barry Phease

I would say that sense of time is more of a cultural/language feature.
We have a sense of time because we wear watches :-).

There are some languages (eg. Navajo) which do not have the word for
"time".

On your next vacation don't use clocks for few days and see how you
perceive the passage of time.

...richie




-- 
* Richie Bielak   (212)-815-3072   | "Your brain is a liquid-cooled parallel  *
* Internet:       richieb@bony.com | super-computer". He pointed to his nose, *
* Bang {uupsi,uunet}!bony1!richieb | "This is the fan."                       *
*    - Strictly my opinions -      |                     - David Chudnovsky - *


