ST AUGUSTINE'S REFLECTIONS AND MODERN PHYSICS | KAIROS GLOBAL | MAY 2024

Author: George Paul

Intro: George Paul delves into St Augustine’s perspective on time as well as his view of time and the human mind.

What exactly is time? It flows steadily, moment after moment, day after day. Yet, it's so ingrained in our lives that we often overlook its significance, unless we're rushing to a meeting or suddenly notice those first signs of ageing in the mirror.

Then come the physicists, shedding light on the complexities of time. In the world of physics, time isn't just a straightforward tick-tock; it becomes tricky when objects move fast or when gravity is powerful. Einstein delved into this with his theory of relativity, showing how time can stretch or shrink depending on speed or gravity's strength. Imagine time bending like a rubber band! In the realm of quantum mechanics, things take an even stranger turn. It suggests that time might not flow smoothly but instead jumps in tiny, irregular intervals. And beyond these scientific ideas, cultures and beliefs shape how we perceive time, adding layers to this captivating subject that leaves us pondering what time truly is.

Before Einstein's special theory of relativity, scientists generally saw time as a constant and absolute quantity that flowed uniformly for everyone regardless of their frame of reference. This view of time was rooted in Newtonian physics, which treated time as an independent and universal parameter that progressed at a constant rate. It was commonly believed that time was unaffected by factors such as motion or gravity and that it served as a reliable and consistent measure for events and processes in the universe.

 St Augustine on Time

The Christian tradition has long maintained that the world had a beginning. However, in ancient times, many pagans rejected this idea and even made fun of it. They would challenge Christians with questions like, ‘What was your Creator God doing all that time before creating the world? Why did he wait for so long?’

There's a story that's often told about St Augustine responding to such questions with humour, saying that God was creating hell for those who asked such deep questions. Some find this amusing, while others see it as an example of how religion discourages questioning and demands blind faith. However, it turns out that St Augustine never actually said this. In reality, he criticised whoever made such a joke. He preferred to admit when he didn't know something rather than giving a false answer and making fun of those who asked serious questions.

St Augustine saw faith as something that should inspire curiosity and inquiry, not shut it down. He believed that understanding is a reward of faith and encouraged believing in order to understand, rather than seeking to understand in order to believe. He was among the first to highlight how challenging it is for humans to define time accurately. In his work Confessions, he delves into the nature of time, acknowledging that while he knows what time is as long as no one asks him, explaining it to someone else is a different matter altogether.

St Augustine pondered the nature of time, starting from the idea that time is essentially a measure of change. This means that for time to exist, there must be things that change, which are, in essence, created entities. He argued that without creation, there can be no time. In his words, ‘there can be no time without creation.’ This perspective led him to view time as an integral part of the created realm, something brought into being by God himself. He expressed this idea by asking, ‘What times would there be that were not made by you, [O Lord]?’

This line of thought led St Augustine to a profound realisation—that the concept of ‘times before creation’ is nonsensical. He reasoned that since time is marked by passage and change, it presupposes the existence of created entities and time itself. Therefore, there cannot be a time before creation because the very notion of time implies the presence of created things. He articulated this insight by stating, ‘You [O Lord] made that very time, and no time could pass by before you made those times.’

In essence, St Augustine's perspective negates the idea of God waiting through infinite ages before creating the world because, according to his understanding, there were no such ages. The beginning of the created world marked the beginning of time itself. This profound understanding formed St Augustine's response to the question posed by the pagans.

Relativistic Theory of Time

In the twentieth century, modern physics arrived at a similar understanding. While St Augustine viewed time as a created entity, modern physics sees time, or space-time, as something physical that came into being with the Big Bang. Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which explains gravity, reveals that space-time is dynamic—it can bend and exhibit ripples. A significant scientific milestone was the detection of ‘gravitational waves’ by the LIGO experiment in 2015, demonstrating that space-time ripples carry energy and momentum like other physical waves.

Since space-time is part of the physical universe, the beginning of the universe marks the beginning of space and time itself. This concept implies that discussing a ‘time before the start of the physical universe’ is nonsensical. For instance, if the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old according to the basic Big Bang theory, it's illogical to ask what occurred 20 billion years ago. This question is akin to asking about what's North of the North Pole—there's no such location. Similarly, in the standard Big Bang theory, there's no ‘before the Big Bang’ time frame.

Time and the Human Mind

St Augustine also explores a subjective or psychological understanding of time. As he reflects on time in his work Confessions, Augustine discerns that time comprises three aspects that seem to be in motion. The past once existed, the present is fleeting, and the future will eventually become the present and then the past. The present moment, which seems to have a claim to reality, quickly fades into a dimensionless point. What is not yet real transforms into what is no longer real, and the present has no lasting duration—it lacks spatial extension.

Furthermore, Augustine observes that the past and future imply their current non-existence. The past is no longer, and it lacks dimensions in the present. Similarly, the future does not exist in the present moment. These reflections lead Augustine to ask profound questions about time. For instance, how can the past exist if it is no more? How can there be a future time if the future has not yet arrived? And how can we measure the past or future if they lack real existence?

St Augustine's inquiries prompt him to develop a psychological understanding of time. He suggests that time exists and is measured within the mind. The past and future exist within our consciousness, having a kind of existence as memories and anticipations. The past is not inherently real but gains reality through its presence in our minds and memories. Memory, therefore, plays a crucial role in Augustine's psychological view of time. St Augustine believes that a type of time called ‘deictic time’ relies on minds, not just in how we know it but also in its deeper nature. The term ‘deictic’ is from linguistics and refers to words that mean the same thing but point to different things based on context. For example, words like ‘here,’ ‘now,’ and ‘I’ are deictic—they mean the same thing regardless of who says them, but they refer to different things depending on who says them. Deictic time is the supposed objective ‘now’ that each of us experiences from our own perspectives, and Augustine connects this idea to the concept of change. He sees deictic time as ‘flowing time,’ in contrast to eternity which stays constant. Deictic time moves through past, present, and future, existing only momentarily. Augustine suggests that there is one objectively real time—the present—and that other ‘times’ are just ways our minds handle that fleeting present.

In the 18th century, Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, echoed Augustine's idea that time is a mental construct that aids our perception of the external world rather than being an inherent feature of reality itself. Although Einstein's theories are not focused on psychology, Stephen Hawking revisited subjective concepts similar to Kant's, particularly regarding the direction of time.

St Augustine's profound insights into time, rooted in his theological and philosophical reflections, find striking parallels in modern physics. While Augustine viewed time as a creation of God, modern physics sees time as part of the physical universe, emerging with the Big Bang. Both perspectives lead to the conclusion that discussing a ‘time before the start of the physical universe’ is nonsensical. Augustine's psychological exploration of time, especially his concept of ‘deictic time,’ aligns with contemporary discussions on the subjective nature of time perception. Immanuel Kant and Stephen Hawking further elaborate on these subjective aspects, highlighting the enduring relevance of Augustine's rational philosophy in understanding the complexities of time within the context of modern scientific inquiry.

George Paul is a Communication Designer currently working with the Catholic Health Association of India. An avid student of Theology, Philosophy and History, George is still active in JY, helping youngsters connect with the Catholic intellectual tradition.