Okay, so I just finished reading this book about time, called Time Explained, and seriously, if you ever thought you understood what time is, prepare to feel a little confused again. In a good way, though.
The whole thing starts with this wild story about a guy in a car crash where everything
seemed to go into extreme slow motion—like, he had all the time in the world to watch the crash happen,…mehrOkay, so I just finished reading this book about time, called Time Explained, and seriously, if you ever thought you understood what time is, prepare to feel a little confused again. In a good way, though.
The whole thing starts with this wild story about a guy in a car crash where everything seemed to go into extreme slow motion—like, he had all the time in the world to watch the crash happen, even though by the clock it was just a few seconds. That alone hooks you because it's like, okay, time is clearly not just a ticker on a wall.
What's cool is how the book hops around. It goes from explaining the physics of time, like Einstein showing us that time is actually elastic and can be warped by speed and gravity—not the absolute, steady thing we were taught. But then it switches gears completely to culture. It brings up the Pirahã people in the Amazon who basically only think about the present and don't plan for the distant future, which is pretty mind-blowing. And apparently, the Aymara in the Andes see the past as ahead of them because they can see it, and the future as behind them because it's unknown. What?!
Honestly, it just makes you realize that time is less a universal law and more a personal, cultural, and even psychological experience. They cover all the bases: science, philosophy, history, ancient civilizations like the Mayans and Babylonians—it's super comprehensive without feeling like a textbook.
Bottom line: If you’re looking for a straight, simple answer to "What is time?" you won't find it, because that’s the point—it's the ultimate unsolved riddle. But if you want a fascinating deep dive into why we're all so confused about it and what it means for how you live your own life, you should definitely check this out. It’s a great read.