Philosophical Implications of the Discrete Extramental Clock Law: The Non-Existence of Absolute Newtonian Time in Extramental Reality

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Abstract

The recent proposal of the “Discrete Extramental Clock Law” (1) posits that objective time—extramental, independent of subjective perception—advances in a discrete and variable manner in chaotic complex systems, modulated by a gating function dependent on the system’s criticality state. This law implies that absolute Newtonian time—uniform, continuous, and universal—does not exist in extramental reality, reducing it to a perceptual illusion or emergent approximation. In this revised work, we explore the ontological, epistemological, and metaphysical consequences of this thesis, connecting it to classical debates on temporal flow (3; 4), Einsteinian relativity, and the philosophy of chaotic complexity. The perspective challenges strict block eternalism, supports a temporally open structure with futuribles (possible futures), and relaxes the irreversibility of causality, with positive implications for free will and the nature of becoming.

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last seen: 2026-05-20T01:45:00.602351+00:00