Chapter 22: Time and Human Experience

Time and Human Experience from The Matter With Things provides a profound philosophical and neuropsychological examination of the nature of time, contrasting the static, spatialized representations generated by the left hemisphere with the fluid, indivisible duration experienced by the right hemisphere. Drawing heavily on the philosophy of Henri Bergson and the concept of durée, the text argues that the analytic intellect inevitably distorts time by turning it into a sequence of discrete, frozen moments—a "spatialization" that destroys the essence of flow and creativity. The analysis explores how this hemispheric difference manifests in pathology, specifically within schizophrenia, where the breakdown of temporal flow results in a fragmented, static, and alienating existence known as Zeitstillstand or time standstill. The discussion extends into theoretical physics, challenging the "Block Universe" model associated with Einstein's relativity in favor of perspectives compatible with quantum mechanics and thermodynamics that acknowledge the reality of time's arrow, entropy, and becoming. Iain McGilchrist examines the limitations of linear causality, proposing instead a Gestalt view of reciprocal influence and entanglement that operates across both space and time. Furthermore, the chapter critiques the modern cultural commodification of time, where the "time is money" metaphor leads to a pathological acceleration of life, the loss of true leisure, and a disconnection from the natural rhythms of existence. Key topics include the phenomenology of memory, the "thick" present, the role of time in individuation and free will, and the distinction between mechanical clock time and the organic, musical continuity of lived experience.