Scientists Say Time Might Be an Illusion — Not a Fundamental Part of the Universe

Time has many definitions and could mean a lot of different things depending on the subject and the person giving it meaning. In the case of Dr. Albert Einstein, he said that time is relative, which means it is not absolute, but rather depends on the observer’s frame of reference under the influence of gravity and their speed.

Dr. Bergson, a philosopher who famously argued with Einstein about time, states that time is not solely measurable as an objective quantity that scientists use in physics. Rather, it is multifaceted, and that includes time being a subjective lived experience that will differ based on the observer’s memory and consciousness.

However, today let’s discuss the idea of a new study stating that time might just be an illusion, but not a fundamental aspect of the universe. It is slightly different than both Dr. Bergson’s and Dr. Einstein’s definitions.

Time as Quantum Magic

There is a phenomenon that happens when two particles share the same fate because of their interconnectedness, regardless of distance, also called quantum entanglement. It is a state where if you measure one particle, you will also be able to know the state of the other one, if they are quantum entangled, even if they are thousands of miles apart.

A new theoretical study suggests that time is not a basic part of reality but instead a result of quantum entanglement. When two systems are entangled, the first one might be acting like a clock and the other as the system, producing a state where time passes by as perceived by observers.

Another way of looking at it is if the universe is that in an unentangled version of our universe, time will stop, and there will be no past, future, or present. It will just be a static, consistent existence of all known things, which we know is untrue, because time passes and existence changes.

Read more: Live Science | Physical Review Journal

Bridging Big Theories

Time Is an Illusion: Scientists Say Time Doesn’t Exist in the Way We Think

This new study basically suggests that time is an illusion made by our minds in order to comprehend the interconnectedness of quantum particles. To try and explain it simpler, think of two particles that are entangled with a mysterious link, that no matter what happened to the other, will also be the fate shared by the other particle, regardless of how far they are.

Then, if something changes in the state of one particle, because of their interconnectedness, the other particle will also change, but the progression of that process might be what we perceive as the flow of time. That is the simplest way we can explain the quantum entanglement theory of time.

When average people think of time, they usually think of something called the river, where it first began with the past, flowing into the present and the future, and you can never go back or skip forward, it just flows. However, Dr. Albert Einstein argues that time is relative and can be stretched or warped by gravity. This new theory suggests that there is a specific order of events that will continuously progress instead, as a result of quantum entanglement in the universe.

Why It’s a Big Deal

If time is really something that emerges from the process of quantum entanglement, then our perception of past, present, and future is all just built in our minds, and just an illusion. It does not really exist, or is fundamental to the universe.

This is also a theory that could solve the two most accepted theories about time. One of which is Albert Einstein’s general relativity, where time can be warped depending on the gravity and speed of an object. The other is of quantum mechanics, which states that time is absolute and is treated as an external parameter, like a ticking clock, and the calendar systems.

The way this theory could resolve the two leading contradicting theories of time is by suggesting that the flowing irreversible time we are experiencing is just due to our limited perception of the quantum entangled universe.

Read more: Popular Mechanics

Time Isn’t Real? Quantum Gravity Says So

Author's Final Thoughts

Time might just be an illusion and is a result of our subjective experiences based on our quantum entanglement, along with other objects, with different parts of the universe. With more studies, hopefully, we could come up with a new theory of everything that solves the problem of what time is.

Read more: Scientists Say We’re Still Evolving — And Some Humans Are Growing New Body Parts