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The human mind is a Time Machine (long-ish post)...

Before elaborating on this point, it is important to clarify terms. The term "time machine" as commonly used conjures notions of a fictional device that allows the operator to travel back and forth through time. This definition is one manufactured by science fiction and Hollywood (e.g. Back to the Future). However, strictly speaking, "time machine" can be used to describe a category of instruments that would include the clock, hourglass, or metronome: a device or technology used specifically for its relationship with or ability to measure time. It is in this sense that I theorize that the human mind - or, perhaps more accurately, human consciousness - is a time machine.

The basis for this claim is that, the more thought I give to the unique attributes of homo sapien and/or human civilization writ large, the more I come back to Man's relationship with time. By my estimation, all of the features pointed to as the potential sine qua non of human-ness (complex thought/planning behavior; art/culture; awareness of death; religiosity; abstract symbolism) distill down, whether directly or indirectly to time. Any capacity for sacrifice REQUIRES as a prerequisite a sophisticated conceptualization of the interplay between the present and the future. This undergirds any possibility for low time preference thinking/behavior. It undergirds any belief in the eternal or afterlife. Sophisticated orientation within some sort of timeline is also a necessary precursor for any consideration of legacy. This also leads to the notion of money as an abstract symbolic framework. In a world absent the concept of time (presumably the world occupied by the majority of sentient life forms), tokenizing time and/or work into a tradeable commodity would seem an absurd behavior.

With this perspective in mind, it does seem plausible that the major breakthrough of human consciousness is its ability to more fully appreciate this metaphysical dimension. Humans are not unique in this, by the way, as dolphins, orcas, elephants, apes, and in some instances dogs (to name a few species) have demonstrated at least a rudimentary ability to mourn. While not proof of a deep awareness of time, these are glimmers of this capacity elsewhere in the animal kingdom. That said, humans exhibit time awareness at a level far in excess of these other species. As it has been put forth by Saifedean Ammous, among others, one plausible definition of civilization is the gradual lowering of time preference, at scale. So if the human mind is indeed a time machine, it is little wonder that #bitcoin's innovative timechain would be as profound a breakthrough as it appears to be. Where fiat attempts to surreptitiously distort the integrity of man's bearing in the expansive matrix of Time, #bitcoin manages to re-anchor this relationship. As the saying goes: Nature to be commanded must be obeyed. Bitcoin obeys one of the most foundational principles of human flourishing, the absolute subordination to time, and therefore truth, as the only bedrock on which to build enduring Value.

#thinkstr

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Brisa Sawayn 6mo ago

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