Machine and time: account, memory and speed

Philosophy

Abstract

The author of the article examines temporal essence of the machine, which is realized in its working principle and in its construction. Time of the machine is the quantitative repetition of working motions, and in this sense — of the present time. To the contrary the real temporal synthesis is built not only as denumerable time but also as a quality distinction of the forms of time. In the article a temporal synthesis is considered in accordance with Kantian doctrine of transcendental schemes of imagination. The temporal synthesis of the moments of time («past», «present», «future») is realized as a linear synthesis of operations of imagination (anticipation, apprehension, recognition). However, as in the basis of imagination’ schematism lies a transcendental account Anzähl), so far Kantian reason can be understood as a peculiar time machine. Such presentation does not take into account qualitative distinction of the moments of time that is the basis of the mechanism of memory (it is assumed in the diagram of time by Husserl). Qualitative time is not reproductive but a productive synthesis; it presupposes not a linear sequence of homogeneous moments of time, but unity of different temporal modifications. The author shows that, as long as Kantian temporal synthesis presents unity of production and reproduction, qualitative time and quantitative time are parts of this ontological unity. Machine presentation of reason is only one of several versions of temporal synthesis. But namely this presentation of reason in the contemporary era becomes a dominating notion: speed of the machine represents quantitative time as a simple account of the moments’ shifting. Transformation of temporal scale of human life under influence of the accelerated processes is considered. The author concludes that in the machine age time is experienced by a person not as an event,but as a simple reproduction of the events’ shifting.