Helmut, List: Personally, I find Peirce's logical/semeiotic definitions of time and space helpful.
CSP: *Time *is a certain general respect relative to different determinations of which states of things otherwise impossible may be realized. Namely, if *P* and *Q* are two logically possible states of things (abstraction being made of time), but are logically incompossible, they may be realized in respect to different determinations of time. ... *Space*, like Time, is a general respect to whose determinations realizations are relative. Only, in the case of space, the realizations instead of being of states of things signified by propositions are of objects representable by terms of propositions. ... [I]f the universe of discourse is a collection of objects of a certain kind called *things*, each individual thing denoted by a subject of the proposition (reckoning as 'subjects' not only the subject nominative but the direct, indirect, and prepositional objects) each such individual exists and has such characters as it has, relatively to some determination of space. (NEM 3:1074&1077, c. 1905) Rather than time being a fourth dimension in addition to the three of space--such a conception is another artifact of analysis, facilitating mathematical characterization and measurement of motion--as Murray Murphey summarizes, "the hypothesis of space explains how there can be many subjects of one property ... [and] the hypothesis of time is required to explain how a single thing may possess contradictory properties’’ ( https://archive.org/details/developmentofpei0000murp/, 1961, pp. 384-5). In other words, space accounts for the existence of different things, which are denoted by terms; while time accounts for the realization of different states of things, which are signified by propositions. *P* and not-*P* cannot be true of the same thing at the same time, but they can be true of different things at the same time and the same thing at different times. CSP: Each kind of existence consists in having a place among the total collection of such a universe. It consists in being a second to any object in such universe taken as first. It is not time and space which produce this character. It is rather this character which for its realization calls for something like time and space. ... According to the metaphysical law of sufficient reason, alike in all respects two things cannot be. Space evades that law by providing places in which two things or any number, which are precisely alike, except that they are located in different places, themselves precisely alike in themselves, may exist. Thus, space does for different subjects of one predicate precisely what time does for different predicates of the same subject. (CP 1.433&501, c. 1896) Continuity is compatible with oscillation, but only for an *elliptic *continuum, which I view as doubly degenerate, having no overall tendency toward any limit state. A degenerate continuum is *parabolic*, approaching the same limit state in both directions, while a genuine continuum is *hyperbolic*, proceeding asymptotically between limit states that are different from each other. I discuss this in much greater detail in sections 6-7 of "Temporal Synechism" (https://rdcu.be/b9xVm) and sections 2-3 of "Semiosic Synechism" (https://philpapers.org/archive/SCHSSA-42.pdf). Regards, Jon Alan Schmidt - Olathe, Kansas, USA Structural Engineer, Synechist Philosopher, Lutheran Christian www.LinkedIn.com/in/JonAlanSchmidt / twitter.com/JonAlanSchmidt On Thu, Jul 17, 2025 at 12:55 PM Helmut Raulien <[email protected]> wrote: > Gary, Jon, List, > > To Andre de Tienne´s question, what regulates or determines what, time > signs or vice versa, or both mutually, I remember, that a similar question > is about matter and space. That matter requires space is obvious, but maybe > without matter there would be no space either? Einstein and Mach have > dealt wit this question, Einstein is more accepted than Mach. Einstein has > also said, that time is a dimension, like the three spatial dimensions are > too, and time and space are transformable with each other > (Lorenz-transformation). The therefore required high velocity, close to > light speed, shows the extent to which matter is effete mind (signs at > work). And so, how and why time for us, who act far below light speed, is > of such a different quality than space is for us. It seems, that Peirce > somehow has anticipated Einstein, by saying that matter is effete mind. > > I see a slight (and I guess, solvable) problem with unifying "reentry" > with "continuity". Spencer-Brown said, that reentry is an oscillation. It > should be, I guess, because otherwise it would contradict the excluded > middle. A sign cannot be not thirdness (firstness, correlate) and thirdness > (triad) at the same time. So there must be an oscillation. But what is its > frequency, and how does that not contradict continuity? I guess there is a > fractal with self-similar time and space scales, maybe going indefinitely > small, or stopping becoming smaller at some quantum scale with the > Heisenberg-blur. For example, the biggest scale is that of two sequential > thoughts, like "Where can I put my bag?" and "There, on the table". A > smaller scale might be the firing frequency of neurons, about 50 cycles per > second, and a very small scale might be some kind of quantums oscillation. > Maybe it is justified to say, that a fractal is quasi-continuous. Another > argument, why "oscillation" does not refute "continuity" might be, that > (incontinuous) quantum theory too does not refute (continuous) > waves-theory, but says. that both models are valid, and it depends on the > situation, which model, the discontinuous or the continuous one, expresses > itself into reality. > > Best regards, Helmut >
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