Why did Albert Einstein say that "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."? Why did some scientists say that past, present, future exist simultaneously? - by Steve Baker - Quora Question Review

This document contains a review of the answer by Steve Baker on the question in Quora: "Why did Albert Einstein say that "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."? Why did some scientists say that past, present, future exist simultaneously?"
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Contents

Reflection

1. Answer Review

Einstein wrote the quoted words in a letter to the family of his close friend Michele Besso, upon learning of his death. A more complete quote reads like this:

“Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

Einstein was prescient: “a little ahead of me” proved to be literally true, as Einstein died just a little over a month after the passing of Besso.

The words were intended to comfort a grieving family, not to reveal some profound truth about physics. Still, if I wanted to seek deeper meaning, I think the point is that while we experience the present, imagine the future, and remember the past, they all “exist” in a sense: the fact that a person’s life has come to an end does not erase that life and the reasons to celebrate it if it was a good life, a meaningful life.

I said similar things to my Mom just a few months ago, when she lost her husband, my stepfather, after a marriage that lasted nearly 47 years. (They’d have had their 47th wedding anniversary yesterday.)

3.

Reflection 1 - Question Review

To understand the question: "Why did Albert Einstein say that "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."? Why did some scientists say that past, present, future exist simultaneously?" requires a clear defintion of the concepts: present, past and future?
The question consists of two questions. The first part assumes that there is a difference, but what this is, is not clear.
The second half is not clear.

My understanding is only the present exists. All the events happening, anywhere in the Universe, at present, are hapening simultaneous. All the events that happened before the present, happened in the past. All the events that will happen after the present, happen in the future.
I don't see any illusion in this concept. What are illusions is the concept like length contraction.

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Created: 17 May 2024

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