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I have been pondering certain aspects of human's perception of the present due to two things. The first is an alien race from Dr. Who known as "Silents:"
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Silent
I haven't followed the continuity too deeply so my thoughts no doubt diverge, but they do pose an interesting question: is our perception of the present dependent on knowledge of the past? The way I see things is that there really is no present, only our very short-term memories of the very recent past. So let's say these critters exist where as soon as you look away, you lose ALL memory of them. Can you even perceive them?
The second aspect I've given thought to is a bit more complicated. I've had to have a good bit of dental work done recently, and fortunately there's the wonderful substance called Nitrous Oxide, unfortunately, I couldn't tolerate the procedures without it. Anyways, during my time in the chair with the gas, I tend to get philosophical and time loses meaning. I don't mean the same sense of playing a video game, and time seems to fly, I literally mean, it loses meaning. Some of the procedures actually lasted upwards of four hours, but I never felt that it took that long. The last time I was under the gas, I consciously (as best I could anyways ) looked at my watch, then went back to doing nothing, then looked at my watch again a while later and tried to compare the experience to an experience while not under the gas, and they didn't compare in the slightest. I also thought of something, then immediately tried to think of it, and I did, but it seemed like a distant concept rather than something that was in my mind literally 5 seconds ago. I've also heard stories of people who have had general anesthesia where they're fully unconscious also lose perception of time unlike when they sleep. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this one, but it's an interesting phenomenon and I'm curious what others thoughts are on this oddness with the perception of time here.
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Silent
I haven't followed the continuity too deeply so my thoughts no doubt diverge, but they do pose an interesting question: is our perception of the present dependent on knowledge of the past? The way I see things is that there really is no present, only our very short-term memories of the very recent past. So let's say these critters exist where as soon as you look away, you lose ALL memory of them. Can you even perceive them?
The second aspect I've given thought to is a bit more complicated. I've had to have a good bit of dental work done recently, and fortunately there's the wonderful substance called Nitrous Oxide, unfortunately, I couldn't tolerate the procedures without it. Anyways, during my time in the chair with the gas, I tend to get philosophical and time loses meaning. I don't mean the same sense of playing a video game, and time seems to fly, I literally mean, it loses meaning. Some of the procedures actually lasted upwards of four hours, but I never felt that it took that long. The last time I was under the gas, I consciously (as best I could anyways ) looked at my watch, then went back to doing nothing, then looked at my watch again a while later and tried to compare the experience to an experience while not under the gas, and they didn't compare in the slightest. I also thought of something, then immediately tried to think of it, and I did, but it seemed like a distant concept rather than something that was in my mind literally 5 seconds ago. I've also heard stories of people who have had general anesthesia where they're fully unconscious also lose perception of time unlike when they sleep. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this one, but it's an interesting phenomenon and I'm curious what others thoughts are on this oddness with the perception of time here.