an existential approach to time- erwin strauss

7/29/2019 An Existential Approach to Time- Erwin Strauss

1/8

PART I: EXPERIENTIALSPECTSF T I M EAN EXISTENTIAL APPROACH T O T I M E

Erwin W . S t r a u sV A Hosp ital, Lexington, K y .F or a l l flesh is a s grass , an d a ll th e glory of m an as the flower of grass.

Th e grass wi there th an d the f lower thereof fa l le th aw ay . T h e Bib le , poe t rya nd my th , p la ys a nd nove l s p rov ide a mp le doc ume n ta t ion tha t ma n ha sbeen fam il iar with th e exis tentia l aspec ts of t im e s ince th e expulsion fromParad ise . Th is i s no t surpr is ing , fo r b i r th an d de a t h , g rowth a nd decay a re j us tas consp icuous as da y a nd n igh t o r sum mer a nd win te r . Long before th eequinoxes ha d been discovered, long before t h e idea t o divide th e whole of aday in equa l pa r ts was conce ived , it had been known tha t the re was a t imefor work an d a t ime for p ray ing , da ys of labor and d ay s of leisure, propitiousand ominous hours , and so fo r th . One may w onder why so few a t t e m p t s h a v ebeen made to map th is a rea in a concep tual su rvey . Th ere a re , however , goodreasons: Exis tentia l t ime can not be detached from th e li fe an d his tory of th eind iv idua l ; th e re la t ion presen t -pas t - fu tu re cann ot be reduced to th e schemaearl ier- la ter; exis tential t ime is f in i te ; events s i tuated between beginningan d end have a posi t ional value; a year in you t h an d a year in old age a r e no tcomm ensurable ; exis tentia l t im e is not quantif iable .

Contemporary philosophy did not d iscover exis tentia l t ime; i t is only theinterpr eta t ion th at is new, especial ly th e one presented in HeideggersBeing and Time, with i t s emphas is on possib il ity , f in i teness (d ea th ) , an dnothingness. B u t the Analys i s of Dasein i s no t a n an thropolog ica l s tud y . It isa me thod of in terp reta tion , used in the service of ontological interests . T h eontic - ontological d ifference m us t be respected. Ca re , guil t , th e cal l ofconscience, the ecs ta t ic s tructure of t ime , even the d is t inc t ion au then t ic -inauth entic m us t be unders tood accordingly. Inauth entic i ty is a mod e ofbeing, of Dasein; i t is an ontological , not a psycho pathological , term , as i tdoes no t s ignify neurotic behavior.

Since th e experientia l aspects of t ime are t h e specia l th em e of th is sess ion,I shal l appr oach exis tentia l t im e on a n ontic level. I wil l s t ar t from cl inicalexperience, where morbid b ehavior isolates an d magnifies certa in tra i ts , asin a n exper iment .

Bertha L. , a pat ient observed by v . Gebsatte l years ago, is a case inpo in t . T he repor t has lost no th ing of i t s ac tua l i ty , because th a t young w om anwas unu sually gifted in expressing herself an d in describing he r chron opho bicafflic tion. In one of t h e recorded interviews Berth a sa id:

All day long I hav e a feeling of a nx iety r elated to tim e. I n ever s to pth ink ing tha t t ime van ishes , passes away . Righ t now whi le I am

759


2/8

760 Annals New Y o r k Academy of Sciencesta lking with you I th ink with each word: gone, gone, gone!. . .Th is s t a r t s a s soon a s I awake an d is o ften re la ted to sounds . W henI hear a bird peep, I th ink : t h is la s ted one second . Th e dr ipp ing ofwa ter is in tolerable ; it drives me wild , because I mus t th ink : Nowone second is gone-and now anot her one. T h is also hap pen s when Ihea r a clock ticking. I h a v e left my c locks unwound an d have h iddenthem .... I can t ride on a t ra in , because the idea th a t I must reachthe s t a tion at a given t ime is unbearable . . . When my s is te r wr i testh a t s he w ill c ome ne x t S und a y a t n ine minu te s a f t e r e igh t , t h i ssounds very s trange t o me. I cannot unders tand how people a re ab leto m ake plans , announce their future act ions ahea d of t ime an d re-main, nevertheless, completely calm .... I mean, wi th my in te l lec t Ican fol low their conversat ion b ut I a m ac tua l ly pe rp lexed how theyta lk so s imply and qu ie tly wi thout cons tan t ly th ink ing : Now I a mta lk ing ; th a t la s ts so a n d so long ; the n I will do th is ; and nex t t ha t ;all th is will last s ixty years; then I will die; others will come; theywil l l ive about as long, ea t and s leep l ike me, and after them s t i l lo ther s will come, a nd so o n a n d so on for thousands of years w i tho utan y meaning .

Be rtha spok e a s if sh e were quo ting Ecclesiastes: Al l i s v a n i t y . W h a tprofit hat h a m an of al l h is labor which he tak eth und er t h e sun? One genera-t ion passe th away , and ano ther genera t ion cometh . ( I : 2 - 4 ) * Yet the re i sa remarkab le difference between her despair an d his res ignation. S he isdrowning in the mae ls t rom of t ime , while th e Preacher medi ta tes at i t s banks .Because everything vanishes , h is advice is , T he re is nothin g be tter for a m an ,tha n th a t he s hou ld e a t a n d d r ink , a nd th a t he s hou ld m a ke h i s s ou l e njoygood in his lab or. (2:24) Bertha was not in a posi t ion to accept such advice .The re were two leading them es in her lament: In agoniz ing dis tress sheexperiences th e finiteness of her ow n existence b u t also t h e irresistible passingof time. So m etim es she felt a s if she had discovered a kin ship between th elived an d experienced order of her persona1 becoming and some universaltra i ts of world time:

I of te n th ink tha t I a m no t s i ck , th a t I have actua l ly found o u t some-th ing which remains unknown t o o thers, t h a t I have fo rmed th isunfortunate world-view which is not shared by others , yet is quitelogical; actually I do no t unders tand th a t one cou ld th ink o ther-wise ....This thinking is horrible; it is a kind of killing, connectedwith th e idea of suicide-with eve ryth ing I a m do ing the d i s t a nc e

*The word vanity is related to vanish and both to v ain in the sense ofem pty . The original Hebrew word, literally the breath, or exhaling has a strongtemporal conno tation; therefore it is meaningful w hen th e verse One genera tionpasseth away, and another generation cometh ends with the words: but the earthabideth forever.


3/8

Straw: E x i s te n t ia l A p p r o a c h t o T i m eth at separates me from de ath is shortened-actually I do no t f e a rdea th ; indeed , I visua lize i t a s beau t i fu l , b u t the idea th a t eve ry th ingis mel t ing away an d th a t life is constantly shortened horrif ies me. . .Whe n I crochet I do not enjoy seeing the c loth grow; I only realizeth a t toge ther wi th i t s g rowth the sp an of my li fe is shor tened morean d m ore . Th is s i tuat ion is in tolerable . Therefore to r id myself ofthese ideas I will en d m y life, althoug h life is prec ious to me .

761

Bertha was completely unaware th a t wi th he r remark ab ou t c roche t ingshe ha d been paraph ras ing t he fable of Balzacs novel La peau de chagrin(The Fatal S k i n ) . *

We are incl ined t o assume t ha t Bertha s world-view is a s ide-themesubord ina ted to the main theme: th e pa ra lyz ing th r ea t of approach ingdea t h . However, Ber tha reported th a t the onse t of he r d is tu rbance w as a ssudden a s l ightning. I t happen ed when t he leg mo vem ents of a bicycle r idersuddenly caught my a t ten t ion . The n for the f irst t ime I was overwhelmed bythe idea up-down, up-down, one second, an d s t i ll an oth er one. W ha tev erthe order of these two themes ma y be, Berthas p ainful fascinat ion by t h e f luxof t ime was no t du e to ref lec tion bu t , a s th e dom inance of sound a lso indi-cates , i t was akin to direct sensory awareness .

T h e nihi la ting aspect of t ime t ha t dom inates B erthas experience is n ot amorbid invention.** H er malad y is one of prospective bl indness , scotom a forgrow th, for th ings t o come, an d for th e unexhausted possibi li t ies . W ith hernega t ive op t ion , Ber tha p resen ts a p rob lem to psych ia t ry ; b u t th e basical ternative requires an d a llows fu rther e lucidation.

The fa tes , in Greek mytho logy , spun s ing le th reads . Chotho s ta r tedspinning, Lachesis continued it un t il A t ropos c u t the th re a d . The re is abeginning and an end , bu t n o t a beg inn ing and end of t ime . T im e as weconceive it does not begin nor end, but a lifetime does. Since it is extendedbetween tw o terminal points , wha tever ha pp en s occurs e i ther early or la te inl ife . Each event has i ts unique posi t ion with i ts peculiar physiognomy,determined through its r e la tion to b i r th a nd d e a th , pa s t a n d fu tu re , fa c t a ndpossibi l i ty . Although beginning and end are counter-poised, the terminusa quo a n d t h e t e r m i n u s ad quem are no t symmetr ica l te rms . The beg inn ingis an es tab l ished fact . Th e end , however , a l though ce r ta in to come, isunpredic table; de ath is a not-d ate d, ye t a lready present possibil i ty : If i tbe now, t is no t to come; if i t be no t to come, it will be now; if it be no t now,yet it will com e.

*This novel tells how t h e possessor of a magic skin that guarantees fulfillment ofhis wishes is condemned to see it shrink as each of his wishes is fulfilled; each contractionbrings him nearer to death. See Allen Hodges i n t r o d u c t o r y note to Cedar Paulstranslation.**The nterpretation of Being and Nothingess is one of the cen t ra l themes of Heidegg-gers Being ~ n d i m e . S C M Press, London, 1962. See M . Wyschogrods concisepresentation.


4/8

762 Annals New York Academy of SciencesFor th e task of m easur ing t ime , the beg inn ing an d th e end of a n even t m us t

be cons idered as symm etr ica l te rms , and th us dura t ion can on ly be es tab lishedin re trospect . Therefore measurement reduces t ime to the order of one a f te rth e oth er an d thereb y necessarily excludes consideration of th e ongo ing f l u xof t ime wi th the th ree fo ld tempora l a spec ts of t he p resen t , t he pa s t , a nd th efuture .* For example, in clock time, a re la tion earl ier- la ter can be es tablishedbetween any two points on th e dia l . Y et th is re la t ion migrates , so t o s pe a k ,wi th th e hands over the d ia l. Whi le a qu ar te r to e igh t i s ea rl ie r than e igh toclock, eight oclock, in turn, is earlier than half past eight. The qualifica-t ions ea r ly a nd late . to the c on tra r y , a re no t re la t ive to each o ther ; th eyrefer t o t he beginning or t o th e en d of a d a y , of a yea r, of live, or of ex istence.Early an d la te , l ike young an d old , ar e phases in t he develop ment of ind ivid-ual becoming.

T h a t e ight oc lock occurs earl ier th a n e igh t-f if teen, an d e ight-f if teenin tu rn p recedes e igh t - th i r ty , charac te r izes the t ime tha t f lows un i formly ,indifferent to a l l events . B ut life t ime , expanding f rom concep t ion to dea th ,i s no t homogenous. P laced be tween th e f i rs t c ry a nd th e las t b rea th , b io-graphical years are not comm ensurable . Seve nty years of age are notequivalent to twice th ir ty-f ive calendar years . Through i ts unique posi t ion,every hour in the course of a d ay , evety da y in t h e course of a w eek, acquiresa specific va lu e of i ts ow n.

In the chronological practice of everyday life we operate with remarkableinconsistency. W e dispense with-or rath er we never reach-the conc eptof a one-dimensional homogeneous temporal continuum. We preserve ana lmos t p re -Copernican a t t i tu de g iving ample c red i t to th e tes t imony of t h esenses. Concerned with th e coming, going, an d re turning of th e seasons , aw areof th e cyclic mo vem ents of su n, moon , a nd st ars, heedful of th e altern atin gperiods of personal needs and sa t is fact ion, man conceived the temporalun i ts of years , m onths , and d ays . H e d id no t hes i ta te to comprise in to theone un i t of a d ay phases as d i ffe ren t as da y a nd n igh t , a s mu tua l ly exc lus ive

*In measurement of t ime two chains of events must be coordinated so t h a t t h ebeginning and end of one (e.g., of a biological reaction or of a race) determines thes tar t and s top of the othe r one (e.g., of a sto p wa tch or of any other chronometricdevice). Since during the actual procedure of measurement the si tuation is open to thefu tur e, therefore a definite value for t can only be established in retrospect. I t isprobably more correct to say that the whole distance has been conceptualized anddetached from an y actuali ty. Otherwise, beginning and end could not be united into on eview and still be distinguished in a relation of earl ier or later, and the sequence ofseconds following each other, one afte r the other , one to the exclusion of th e ot he r,could not be summ ed up in one numerical value. T o all this st i l l must be added th epostulate th a t the q ua ntit y of ten seconds measured today is equal to tha t measuredyesterday or tomorrow. In the act of measuring t ime man therefore reaches beyond thet ime measured. The human capacity to conjoin two events as s imul taneous yet t o leavethem separate is required; furthermore, i t is necessary to inve rt th e arrow of t imeand to return f rom the end to the beginning. Lived a nd experienced t ime cann ot hereduced to the linear order of physical time. Experienced simultaneity is prior toth e problem of sim ultaneity with w hich the physicist is concerned.


5/8

Straus: Existential Approach t o T i m e 763as daw n and dusk . Da ys a re t rea ted l ike separa te u n i ts , correc t ly represen ted ,i t seems, by th e s ingle sheets of a pa d calendar. W ith th e r inging of t h e bellson New Years Eve, th e old ye a r e nds a nd the new one beg in s a b ru p t ly .Midnigh t marks t he b reak , a t which m om ent som e lega l con t rac ts exp irean d others become effect ive . Ye t there are s t i l l o thers continued from oneyear to the o ther . On one occas ion days , months , and years a re cons ideredas continuous , and on o ther occasions, d iscontinuous . Offic ial ly , m idnigh tmarks the beg inn ing of a new d ay ; p rac t ica lly , the o ld day end s a t n igh t fal land a new one beg ins a t daybreak . S leep in te r ru p ts th e con t inu i ty of tempora lexperience. Resuming t he thr ead of even ts in th e morning where we la id i tdown the n igh t be fore , we d iscover th e s tab i l ity of th e ea r th an d f i rmam ent ,the g round imm utab le in th e f lux of t ime . T h e cyc lic mov emen ts pe rm i t t oes tab l ish a po in t of re tu rn , mark ing en d and beg inn ing an d the reb y enab l ingthe count ing of th e revolutions . Yet , while th e h ands of a clock move in a fullc i rc le , re tu rn ing a t the end to the s ta r t ing po in t , the p resen t day does no treturn to its beginning. Therefore the rolling wheel was a well-chosen symbolof t h e passage of ti m e as it is expe rienced in eve ry da y life.

All these inconsistencies do not signify failure. Th ey express well t h es i tuat ion of m an , who, l iv ing in t ime, is able t o reach beyond th e m om ent in toboth the fu tu re an d th e pas t and the reby to es tab l ish h is own pos it ion wi th inthe wide temporal horizon of th e no t yet a n d the no longer. T h e dia l ofa clock perfect ly a t res t presents for s imultaneous inspection the twenty-four (12 ) hours of th e da y as possibil it ies. T h e m oving h and s ignif ies th eac tua l moment .

A t th e opening of th is session, a t 2:OO p.m. , fourteen hours of th is da yhad passed an d ten more a re s ti ll to come. W hen comple ted , th e day be longsto th e pas t . T h e word tod ay used by every one on innumerab le occasionss ignif ies a whole that t ranscends a l l immediate experience. With pragmaticnaiie teand pract ica l success , we locate the part icular hour in the frame ofthe da y , an d in a s imi la r way th e da y wi th in th e week , th e week w i th in th emon th , a nd th e mon th w i th in th e ye a r ; we c a lc u la te hou rs a nd t r e a t themas if they were tangible th ings . T he services of labor ar e paid by hours , a ndeven by half hours, whereby su ch half is one-half of a no t o r no t-ye t o r no-longer-ex is ting whole . W hen we ask a nd answer the ques t ion , W ha t t ime isi t? we descend from t he whole of t h e d a y t o t h e h o u r a n d f u r t h e r d o w n t othe minu te ( the mi -nu te pa r t ) a nd to the s e c ond ( th e s ec ond mi -nu te p a r t ) .Th is descent follows an ascen t w hereby we ( I ) l oca te the a c tua l mom e n t ofour (m y) becoming within th e encompassing horizon of world t ime com mo nto a l l of us . Th e quest ion W h at t im e is i t? is r ight only for th e ac tu alm om ent of asking-now. Insep arable from th e speak er, now signifies th isvery in s ta nt in the display of his personal becoming. W ith th e quest ion W h a t t im e is i t? we order o ur pe rsona l becoming in t o th e a l l-encompass ingorder of world t ime. T he answer, I t is two-thir ty , m eans i t is two -thir ty


6/8

764 Annals New Y ork Academy of Sciencesfor all of us. Accordingly, all th e m an y particula r w atches in this room indica tethe s a me t ime .

In s ign ing a n impor ta n t doc ume n t we would a dd the d a te : 2 : 3 0 p .m. on th e19th da y of Jan ua ry , 1966. D ue t o t he ro ta t ing schema of clock and calendar,t ime , hour , day an d month will reappear in every year . Only th e number of th eyear p resen ts a n excep tion . T h e e ra ex tends open-ended f rom one s ing lebeginning: the foundation of th e c i ty , th e f irst Olymp iad, the creat ion of th eworld, the birth of Christ. So the re a re two chronolog ica l schemata , andcorresponding t o them th e two orders of th e rou t ine ta sks a nd of th e i r revoca-ble decis ions with quite different m eaning in exis tentia l t ime.

During our l i fe t ime something can, wil l , and must happen for the f irs tt ime . I t may or may no t be repea ted la te r on . W ith beg inn ing an d end , th eord ina l numbers mak e the i r en t rance . T he y l i ft the ind iv idua l m om ents o u tof the i r anonym ity so tha t they can be de te rmined wi th in a sys temat ica l lyordered w hole.

In a baske tba l l game each qu ar te r has i t s own charac te r is t ic pos it ion an dposition value . T h e tac t ics of th e players change accordingly from th e s t ar tto th e final whist le . Tow ards th e end leading te am s frequently use delayingmaneuvers . Paraphras ing Heidegger, one could say they are running forwardto th e antic ip ated end; the y play as if i t were in a downcount backward f romth e finish, w ith th e intention t o foreclose all open possibilities. D uri ng agame th e s i tua t ion remained open to t he fu tu re . A decision (literally, a cu tt in gthrough) has not yet been reached. Soon the not yet wil l be replaced by ano longer. W hen the game is over, th en even the most pass ionate devotee ofthe los ing team must res ign and accept defeat as a fa i t accompli (a fact =f a c t u m = past tense) . In re trospect , th e fans m ay be sa tis f ied or disap pointe d,happy o r un hap py , bu t they can no longer hope nor fea r . M oods a nd emot ionshave their proper t ime, their part icular posi t ion between beginning and end,in prospect or in re trospect w ithin a te m poral horizon.Al though beg inn ing an d end occur in time , beg inning and end a re no t pu retempora l te rms ; they d o no t pe rmi t a s t r ic t mathemat ica l fo rmal izat ion . Forbeg inn ing an d end a re co-de te rmined by th e sub jec t m at te r . Someth ing be-gins, ends , and-as we shou ld add--(lasts o r end ure s between beginningan d end. T he f irst s tep, th e f irs t mo ve, the f irst word, a re fol lowed by secondand th i rd s teps , by second a nd th i rd moves and words, which in t u rn es tab l ishth e posi t ion of th e first as th e first. A succession of co heren t pa rt s leads froma beginning to a n end. Only then when such a coherence of par ts com es to passdo we ac tua lly speak a bo ut beg inn ing an d end . T he beg inn ing the refore occursin a two-fold contraposition. I t i s se t aga ins t i t s an teceden ts and i t i s incontras t also to the subs t ra tum . T he open ing chord of a symp hony s tops th enoise th at f i lled th e concert hal l an d ushers in a m eaningful ordered sequen ceof tones , jus t l ike a surgical operat ion las t ing for hours demands from thefirst incis ion t o th e las t suture th e correct applicat ion of th e f i t t ing ins tru-m en ts a t the p roper p lace and t ime . S ince a ll such product ions a r e enac ted


7/8

Straw: Existential Approach to T i m e 765on a higher level of orderliness, superior to the humdrum of a ny accidentalnoises o r the arbitrary fumbling of tools, they are constantly threatened bypossible deficiencies and failures. A correct performance requires optimalconditions. Th e proper succession alone succeeds.

Although the temporal structure of such human accomplishments talliesin many aspects with the development of things which have a natural be-ginning and end, the agreement is by no means complete. First, in humanproductions a preconceived plan is realized through human activi ties directedby the plan. Living organisms, however, are self-sustaining systems. Second,in the case of human productions the beginning coincides, as a rule, with atransition from a lower to an intended higher order of activities. However, inthe lives of organisms the beginning is both the continuation of the chain ofgenerations and a break of t ha t continuation. We are all descendants, off-springs from a long line of ancestors tha t reaches back into remotest ant iquity .Yet it is through emancipation from the continuum of generations th a t we inthe drama of birth finally gain our status as independent individuals.

Third, a surgical procedure is completed when the first incision has beenclosed by the last suture. In a symphony th e last chord corresponding to theopening bar ends and thereby completes the work which exists as an integratedwhole. With the last stitch the dressmaker completes her work, but with thelast breath life does not reach completion; it comes to an end. In the lives ofplants, animals, and men, beginning and end are not symmetrical. Th e begin-ning has its antecedents, while the end is final. The beginning is not absolute,not a creatio ex nihilo, but death on the biological level is a dissolution intonothing; t he rest is silence, even if one leaves behind family, property, andfame. At t he crib of a healthy baby dea th seems far off. Yet a t some later daythe newborn also will succumb and pass away, just like Everyman. Death,the factual end of life, is its final and radical negation. But the negative ispresent in every actual moment; it is a shadow cast by life itself.All living creatures are in a peculiar relation to their environment in thewidest sense. They codetermine it, they depend on it, an d, nevertheless, theyoppose it. They maintain themselves against their environment in their ex-change with it. In this relation the circumstances may be propitious ordisadvantageous. A night frost late in spring may kill the cherry blossoms,there may be too much rain or too little, or it may come too early or too late,timely or ill-timed.

During all the years of growth, maturi ty, and decline the organismabsorbs material from the environment, but it also must transform it, make itits own. Self-preservation is never a preservation of the status quo. Anorganism will remain alive only so long as it is capable of joining issue withan environment in a continuous process of assimilation and dissimilation. Topersist, to endure, means to maintain itself against the permanent threat ofdecay. It means to keep entropy low throughout the whole life. Yet the forcesthreatening destruction cannot be missed. They are the antagonists-and as


8/8

766 Annals New York Academy of Sciencessuch th e necessary co-actors in th e dram a of l ife. W ith B urke, we could say :Our an tagonis ts a re our he lpers .

Sensi tized throu gh personal experience, th e chron ophobic p at i en t d is-covered the ambigu i ty inheren t to l ived t ime where i t depends on theindividual whether a s i tuat ion will be in terp re ted as growth an d fulf i l lmen tor a s consumption an d decline .

References1. VON GEBSATTEL, E. 1928. Zeitbezogenes Zwangsdenken in der Melancholie. Ner-venartz I ( 3 ) : 274-287. Reprinted in Prolegomena einer Medizinischen Anthro-pologie. Springer-Verlag , Berlin-Goettingen-Heidelberg. 1954.

HODGE,A. 1949. Introduction to Balzac, H. : La Peau de chagrin (The Fatal Skin).C. Paul, Transl. Novel Library, London.WYSCHOGROD, M. 1961. Heideggers ontology and human existence. Dis. Nerv.2.3. Syst . (SUPPI)22(4): 50-56.

an existential approach to time- erwin strauss

Documents