In Search of Time
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Time is relative, situation-dependent, location- and culturally-dependent, and very much subjective. Yet we treat it as if it were objective. We share standardized time, and we are dependent on it for almost everything we do. When it comes to waking up, business meetings, transportation, finding your way via GPS, seeing friends, watching a show, we are all dependent on a standardized notion of time and time measurement. The future gives us hope and deadlines drive innovation and productivity. Time drives us forward and we talk about time – all the time! The word “time” is the most used noun in English, followed by “year” in third place and “day” in fifth. We are obsessed with it, for a lot of very good and practical reasons.
The book looks at time through different perspectives (ranging from physics, history, philosophy, anthropology to art, business & politics, biology and psychology). The author’s aim is to bring us closer to the nature and our experience of time by looking at it from different lenses to improve our understanding of what time is and what it is not – and to use that knowledge to improve how we organize ourselves around time. It’s by better understanding time’s nature and experience that we can keep the positive and productive elements of time and get rid of the unhealthy time practices in our lives.
The book looks at time through different perspectives (ranging from physics, history, philosophy, anthropology to art, business & politics, biology and psychology). The author’s aim is to bring us closer to the nature and our experience of time by looking at it from different lenses to improve our understanding of what time is and what it is not – and to use that knowledge to improve how we organize ourselves around time. It’s by better understanding time’s nature and experience that we can keep the positive and productive elements of time and get rid of the unhealthy time practices in our lives.
Jacob Dahl was, until recently, a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, after spending 26 years at the global consulting firm. Today, he is a board member of a leading international bank and continues to be a serious student of science.