Time: The Familiar Stranger

by J.T. Fraser

Discusses the origins of the universe, the history of clocks, human perception of time, dreams and reality, memory, aging, and death

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Physics, Science

Paperback

First published November 1, 1987

Reviews

[Joe Stack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had little or no idea how complex the subject of time is until I read this book. Time is more that the minutes that pass. It's more than birth, life, & death. This book examines time through science, psychology, religion, sociology, history, and the arts. While I found some parts of this book difficult to read, and some chapters more interesting than others, I found that each section provided challenging ideas. I liked the way the author wove in poetry and other literary excerpts, and I liked the way the author structured his chapters by introducing at the beginning of each chapter the concepts to be explored in the chapter. Thus, I knew what I was getting into in each chapter. There were a lot of concepts about time, particularly outside the realm of physics, that I was not aware of, such as, "It is useful to remember that an organism can have a future and a past only with respect to its organic present, and also that a person cannot have a future and a past unless his or her mental present is viable," -- the human experience of time comes from dealing with the tension between "growth & harmony" and "decay & death,"-- breaking away from the traditional concept of time can open up creativity, -- and focusing on gratification in the present reduces the importance of history which then results in dislocation (for self and nation) because focusing on the present breaks continuity. There are plenty more thought provoking ideas in this book.

[Jon Walgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating study of an indefinable topic. Some advanced academic background is needed to understand the author's writing. Runs from almost inscrutable to comic. I enjoyed the book.

[Sierra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dry read but informational. Good if traveling and on the road with nothing to do. a great weekend read. Discusses all facets of time scientific, cultural, and biological.