Space and time — what are they?
𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎
Throughout the entire existence of human culture, the question of space and time in various forms has always intrigued people. Are these phenomena artificial and arise solely from human consciousness? Do they exist beyond it and are natural?
In the modern globalised world, it is apparent that people of different origins conceptualise “time” and “space” variously. It is inevitable that most people navigate their lives guided by these abstractions.
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢?
In some cultures that were touched by the phenomenon of feudalism the space outside the house is usually perceived as something 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲.
Talking about streets, in English it’s habitual to say “in the street”, as the streets were narrow corridors between high houses. The space was limited, everybody wanted to be safe living inside the fortress, defended by walls.
In countries where there weren’t many castles, the “outside” space was comprehended as something wide and open, and probably very dangerous. So in languages like Ukrainian people are used to saying “on the street”.
𝙰𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜?
It is also widely believed that time and space are 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, with their characteristics not being reliant on the material world. The latter include their inseparable connection, infinity in quantity and quality, unformability, and indestructibility.
In the Middle Ages, the prevailing concept was creationism (everything was created by God, including time and space), while in the Modern era, space and time were later transformed into convenient physical measurements, making them elements of a rational theory.
Have you ever wondered how strange it was in Medieval Times — contemplating upon something that you cannot count, yet which follows you in every endeavour? Time is not a miracle for us today, as we all use phones and can read watches, but how different it was for everybody back then?
Knowing now that 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 plays a crucial part in our perception, it is safe to say that space and time are also perceived differently depending on historical, cultural and linguistic contexts.
𝙲𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜
Interestingly, the anthropologist Edward Hall categorizes cultures based on the principles of 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗼chronism and 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝘆chronism. In countries such as England, Germany, and Scandinavia, people are more likely to follow a strict schedule, while in Arab and Mediterranean countries, folks are more inclined to be engaged in various activities within a single time frame. They comfortably prioritize personal relationships over business interests.
Hall has also proposed the distinction between 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 and 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 cultures. The first are those in which individuals communicate in close proximity, meaning they have a small communicative space (Italians like hugs and kisses, more as of a habit, when meeting someone). In contrast, the latter group has a larger communicative space.
Based on the texts of A.F. Losev, we can now talk about different perceptions of time and space based on different mythical and religious beliefs. Believers in a single deity — 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜 — shift the responsibility for their perception to the will of God. The constant expectation of the end of time transforms all possible interpretations of the present into the perception of things through the prism of the future. The 2019th pandemic, for example, could be seen by some as a part of the divine plan.
𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 philosophy and religion are the opposite of monotheistic views — an eternity is professed to be reached, but not at some sacred end of time, but by destroying all times and the corresponding interpretations of the reality associated with them. In 𝗧𝗮𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗺, time was not created by any being, and existence, whose main features are inactivity and tranquillity, takes place outside the temporal flow.
𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚜’ 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎
Another example can be made about the perception of time based on calendars of different cultures. Today most people are used to the 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 calendar which is mainly focused on human organisation and societal needs. It has become divorced from natural connection a long time ago.
That can’t be said about some indigenous calendars, some of them aligned with natural phenomena. For instance, the 𝗔𝘇𝘁𝗲𝗰 calendar is intertwined with the movement of stars in its core. It is also cyclical, the idea which derives from the philosophy of the culture. Hindu, Buddhist, Mesoamerican and the indigenous Australian people have all mirrored their beliefs in this time-numbering tool.
While we think that time has a 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛 quality to it and progresses infinitely, those cultures knew that one day the cycle of life would start anew.
If you want to talk about genuinely real time, it is of course always heterogeneous, compressible and expandable, completely relative and contingent — A.F. Losev
It seems that time cannot be perceived in the same way, it cannot be compared.
𝙰𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗
Space helps us understand time. It is based on what we see and where we are that we mostly can perceive time. After all, being in a windowless room makes it much harder to determine the amount of time passed than sitting in a park and watching some yoga enthusiasts doing breathing exercises.
Physically we perceive time differently from how it flows for us mentally. Moreover, if our attention is fixed on the space where we are inside ourselves, it is unlikely that we will be able to simultaneously perceive both space and time, our physical body happens to be in.
Hence, it is crucial that we remember:
★ our perceptions differ and we inevitably may find ourselves deep in misunderstanding when it comes to intercultural communication.
★ our perspectives, even though affected by globalisation, are culturally shaped.
★ other views should not be oversimplified — in the differences there lies the beauty of human diversity.
