Time&Eternity

Time in the Formulation of Scientific Theory 171
that are endowed with the potential to evolve in time.” 303 Complex systems
can still be described with deterministic equations, but the more chaotic a
system is, the less it can be compressed algorithmically.
Regarding time, chaotic systems are distinguished from classically deterministic
systems primarily to the extent that they permit no reconstruction
of the initial situation, while in classical systems, the past can in principle be
reconstructed. Irreversibility and the focus on process have led to the development
of new theories of time in the context of chaos research. For example,
Prigogine speaks of an internal time of a system that should, among
other things, permit one to speak of a duration of the present. 304 Instability
(chaos), probability, and irreversibility clearly show that the universe is not
as (time) symmetric as the fundamental equations lead one to assume. Prigogine
maintains, “a second time occurs that is not connected to the individual
molecules or the individual persons, but rather to the relationships
between the molecules or persons.” 305 Some of Prigogine’s theses have been
disputed. Nevertheless, it appears that there is a solid basis for the conclusion
that, in the current state of affairs, a relational concept of time comes
the closest to being an accurate description of reality.
According to Friedrich Cramer, the world does not exist; instead, it occurs,
and thus, like Prigogine, he contrasts being and becoming. 306 Despite
an impressively precise measurement of time within the framework of the
Newtonian paradigm, this nevertheless remains closely tied to the question
of being. Cramer believes that becoming, the emergence of the new, cannot
be comprehended by using Newton’s cosmos, which is reversible and, in
principle, static. While Newtonian science asks only how the world functions,
the science of dynamic systems is primarily interested in how the new
comes into being. 307 In this context, Cramer introduces a double structure
of time by distinguishing between reversible time t r and irreversible time t i .
Reversible time applies to periodic, cyclically structured systems, such as
clocks, atoms, planetary systems, seasons of the year, menstrual cycles, division
of cells, timetables, and rituals. All evolutionary processes belong to irreversible
time, be they the Big Bang, volcanism, birth and death, ideas,
dreams, or art. 308 Thus, regular, relatively stable processes are characterized
by reversible time, whereas unrepeatable processes, including the construction
and the destruction of structures, belong to irreversible time. Graphically,
t r would be depicted as a circle, and t i as an arrow. Nevertheless, it can
be easily seen that in reality, the two types of time cannot be sharply separated
from each other; instead, they form a helical model of time. Cyclical
processes are not so stable that they constantly follow a circular line; rather,
every cyclical process can experience disturbances that can lead to the collapse
of the entire system. Cramer sees the best description for transitions