Did tomorrow already happen? Physicists claim that time is an illusion and doesn't exist

Time feels so obvious that we rarely question its existence. Our clocks tick, we sense the hours passing, and we connect events to a single timeline. Yet, in many corners of theoretical physics, the very notion of time as a forward-moving entity is under scrutiny.

Some researchers claim that time may not exist in any fundamental way. They argue that our deeply held belief in a flowing “now” might be a trick of perception.

Time illusions in daily life

Our daily life depends on the past, present, and future being well-defined. We pay bills on time. We set our alarms to wake up in the morning. 

“The equations of physics do not tell us which events are occurring right now,” is an unsettling statement for scientists to make.

That remark highlights the gap between how we sense time and how modern equations describe it.

This perspective on timelessness has gained traction through work from many theoretical physicists, including Dr. Carlo Rovelli a theoretical physicist and Emeritus Professor at the Centre de Physique Théorique (CPT) of Aix-Marseille University in France.

Dr. Rovelli has developed approaches in loop quantum gravity that often do away with a global time parameter.

Time, physics, and intuition

Our intuitions tell us the present moment is distinct, while the future feels open and the past seems fixed. However, Einstein’s theories suggest that all moments could be equally real, leaving no universal present. 

Researchers have shown that gravity can slow clocks. So, for instance, time passes a little bit slower at sea level compared to the top of a mountain, because you’re a bit closer to Earth’s gravity.

It’s relative, meaning that time can move differently depending on how fast you’re moving or how close you are to a strong gravitational field.

Although we don’t experience this effect in our daily routines, atomic clocks confirm it. Such experiments show that time intervals can vary depending on speed and gravitational fields.

A sense of flow in time’s existence

If we listen to our everyday instincts, time seems to rush onward, dragging events from future to past.

Yet in general relativity, there is no built-in rule mandating a universal flow. Instead, many physicists say that our brains layer the experience of flow on top of an otherwise static reality. 

Some propose that what we call the “flow of time” emerges from correlations among physical objects.

Our stories and memories might be responsible for building a chain of events we label “before” and “after.”

Einstein and our understanding of time

Albert Einstein’s theories, particularly his theory of relativity, revolutionized how we think about time. In his special theory of relativity, published in 1905, he proposed that time isn’t the same for everyone.

For example, if you’re traveling at a very high speed or near a massive object like a planet, time will seem to pass more slowly for you compared to someone who’s farther away from the gravitational pull or moving more slowly.

This concept is often called “time dilation,” and it’s been proven in experiments with fast-moving particles and GPS satellites.

In his general theory of relativity, which he published in 1915, Einstein expanded this idea by showing how gravity can also affect time. The stronger the gravitational field, the more it slows down time.

These theories completely changed our understanding of time – it’s not a constant, unchanging backdrop to everything that happens. Instead, it’s flexible and can stretch, bend, and warp depending on the circumstances.

Quantum twists on time’s existence

Quantum mechanics complicates matters further. Traditional formulations treat time as an absolute parameter, ticking away while particles hop between possible states. 

Yet quantum experiments suggest that no single observer can pin down a universal “right now.” Some scientists try to eliminate time altogether in their unified theories. 

The Wheeler-DeWitt equation, for instance, famously omits time when describing quantum gravity. Instead of describing how the universe evolves, the equation focuses on correlations between different parts of a whole. 

Time becomes something that emerges when observers carve out local “clocks” from the timeless fabric.

Chasing the arrow

Despite the insistence that time might be illusory, we still sense an arrow pointing from the past to the future. We watch eggs break rather than un-break, and we see coffee and milk mix rather than un-mix.

This brings us to the relationship of time to entropy, which is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system.

According to the second law of thermodynamics, entropy in an isolated system always tends to increase over time. In simple terms, things naturally move from order to disorder.

This means that the flow of time is often associated with the increase in entropy, which is why we perceive time as always moving forward, from past to present to future – the arrow of time.

Low-entropy conditions at the birth of the universe set the stage for irreversible processes. In that sense, the arrow we chase is not woven into time itself. It emerges from a statistical trend toward disorder, giving us the impression that events line up from earlier to later.

Human minds and the existence of time

Some experts suspect that one day we’ll see time similar to how we see currency: a clever accounting device rather than a fundamental element of reality.

Even so, humans will keep living as though each new moment actually matters.

Our hearts beat in seconds, our schedules rely on hours, and we navigate our days convinced that “tomorrow” has not happened yet.

Regardless of whether time’s existence is an illusion, a by-product of thermodynamics, or an emergent property of deeper laws, we remain anchored in our daily routines.

Perhaps the biggest puzzle isn’t whether time exists but why our brains are so attached to the notion that it flows without pausing, and why we find it so hard to let go of that idea.

Will our brains one day evolve to the point where we understand the true nature of time? Only time will tell.

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