Q+A
THE AMERICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER, SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR AND TELEVISION PRESENTER HAS BUILT A SUNDIAL FOR THE MARS EXPLORATION ROVER, ADVISED PRESIDENT OBAMA ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND VOICED HIMSELF ON SCOOBY DOO. BUT DOES HE KNOW IF TIME EXISTS?
Let’s start with a seemingly easy question I saw put to you on your website: Does time exist?
Like, dude, like, whoa! As far as I’m concerned, time exists. The frustrating thing about being alive, man, is one day you’re going to be dead. It’s awful. But, as the saying goes, we are all time travellers, but we’re only going one way. Why are we only going one way? That’s a remarkable, deep question.
Does time as we understand it exist in space?
Well, if you don’t think it exists, can I have your car or your worldly possessions? Because you might as well just die right now.
What I mean is, does time exist in deep space as it exists on this planet?
Oh, so, that’s a great question! The premise of the bit — as we say in comedy writing — in science is that the universe is knowable. As near as we can tell, the laws of physics here on Earth apply everywhere in the universe. If they don’t, that will be of great interest and it is our quest — in science, in cosmology, in astrophysics, in philosophy — to understand why it wouldn’t be the same here as it is out there. Once you start thinking about the nature of time, it really affects every thought that enters your mind.
Can we agree that time is a dimension?
Oh, yeah. It’s the fourth dimension. You know what? I worked at Boeing. I like to remind people, if you’re ever on a 747 aeroplane, don’t worry — Iwas very well supervised. Anyway, we had four-dimensional autopilots even in the 1970s. So the pilot put in wherever he or she wanted to go, which would be an airport that will have a latitude, a longitude and an altitude above sea level — that’s very important. When you’re going to land in Nepal, you’ve got to take into account how high you are above sea level, let alone if you’re going to some exotic place like Denver, Colorado. Then, the other thing is, you put in what time you want to get there. So yes, we have four dimensions everybody: x, y, z and t. And the world goes round on account of it.
Is time a subject where the lines between science and philosophy can get a bit blurred?
That’s part of its magical quality. Our perception of the passage of time versus our ability to measure it is really… I want to say always in conflict, but it’s something that has to be reckoned with in the traditional sense of the word “reckon”. And, you know, I spent quite a bit of time with sundials. My dad was a prisoner of war in World War II for almost four years. The Japanese military confiscated all his jewellery and watches, so he became ver
