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The standardisation and accuracy of human timekeeping has improved by leaps and bounds over the millennia – from tracing the stars, to the invention of timepieces, to the atomic ‘clocks’ of today. But for all our efforts, the concept of time, including whether it’s little more than an illusion of human psychology, remains deeply puzzling. In this interview with Robert Lawrence Kuhn for the PBS series Closer to Truth, the independent British physicist Julian Barbour endeavours to distinguish between our experience of time and its scientific underpinnings, including what has and hasn’t changed about our conception of time since we first looked to the skies to measure it.
Video by Closer to Truth
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Cosmology
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Rituals and celebrations
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Astronomy
The history of astronomy is a history of conjuring intelligent life where it isn’t
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Metaphysics
Simple entities in universal harmony – Leibniz’s evocative perspective on reality
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Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
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Engineering
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Biography and memoir
The unique life philosophy of Abdi, born in Somalia, living in the Netherlands
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Cognition and intelligence
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Earth science and climate
The only man permitted in Bhutan’s sacred mountains chronicles humanity’s impact
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