Reflections on the history of the concept of time

G. J. Whitrow

pp. 1-11

in: Fraser, Francis C. Haber, Gert H. Müller (eds), The study of time, Berlin, Springer, 1972

Abstract

The central feature of our current mode of thought about the physical universe and human society is the idea of time as linear advancement without cyclical repetition. We tend to regard this idea as intuitively obvious and a necessity of thought, but a general survey of the historical evidence reveals that this is not the case.