Why does marijuana change our perception of time?
i don't know if there's a known pharmaceutical action of marijuana that specifically does this, the research on it's psychoactive effects has been greatly limited by the current ban we are experiencing, thus there is actually very little known about the secondary effects of marijuana such as time sense distortion. however, the fact that this is a quality that seems to be shared among a large number of psychoactives in general, including alcohol, LSD, and other drugs, I'd say that this effect is more created by the mind while intoxicated in general, rather than being an actual effect, the same can be noted in people watching tv, listening to music, and engaging in other entertaining activities (though it is more commonly called "losing track of time" when not associated with the effects of a drug), i believe that this stems from the simple act of being entertained, meaning that when you are entertained, your mind is comfortably stimuated, and thus you are not paying attention to time passing, or at least giving it the minimum amount of attention possible, because of the other things occupying your attention, this "losing track of time" may come across as time moving slower or faster, not because it is, but because you don't grasp how much time passes, and your ability to suddenly guess how much time has passed is inaccurate, thus, it seems that more or less time than you expected has passed, creating the illusion that time is moving faster or slower. another possibility is that it either stimulates or sedates you (dependent on variety used and personal reaction), and thus you are moving at a faster or slower pace, you may not be fully aware of how much faster or slower you are going, and thus judge time passing per each activity as if it were normal surcumstances, and when you later realize that an activity took more or less time based upon your change in pace, it appears that time has moved slower or faster. these are two possibilities, and to a certain extent, they can co-exist, however these are also my theories, and as such, they may or may not be accurate, but they make sense to me as it is unreasonable to think smoking marijuana actually slows or speeds time, and far more likely that it is a subjective illusion. hoped this helped
How is it that all sentient beings experience "now" at the same time?
How do we know for sure that we are all experiencing the present at the same time? Even if we are seeing the other person, how do we know for sure that we are not seeing a past action of that person... maybe the rest of you are already experiencing events days, months or even years ahead from me, yet I can still see and interact with your "past you". Or viceversa. How do we know that we all actually exist at the same time? Maybe time flows slower to me than to you. Einstein did prove that time is relative, after all. Any thoughts?
What does "time slows down" actually mean?
All (or at least most) time-related processes are tied to motion: for one second to pass on your clock its pendulum must move certain distance or a spring move certain distance or a quartz crystal must oscillate certain number of times which again means its atoms must move certain distance. For you to perceive some amount of time some electro-chemical signals must travel some distance in your brain, some neuromediators move, some electric potentials change, and so on. All these processes are governed by propagation of changes in fields (let's call such changes signals) and these changes propagate at certain speed, speed of light (because light is just certain propagation of changes in electro-magnetic fields).Now, for some observer who is moving relative to you, you are moving relative to this observer and all your atoms too. Imagine a signal goes from your hand to your brain. In your frame of reference they are one meter apart so it just needs to travel one meter. In the moving observer's frame of reference the signal must travel from the place where your hand was when signal was created to the place where your head is when the signal reaches it, and since you're moving this place is more than one meter away from the place where signal was created. So in the reference frame of that observer the signal from your hand to your brain must travel longer distance and since its speed is constant it must take more time. The same for all other signals and processes, they must take more time. This way what you perceive as one second (and your clocks too) seems like more than one second for moving observers. And what's one second for them is less than one second on your clock, so for them your clocks tick slower and all the processes with you are happening slower, time slows down for you, as moving observers see it.
How is time a mental concept?
Mankind has created "time" to suit themselves and to add a sense of routine and familiarity to their lives. Historically, time did not become an element of life on Earth until mankind created it. Dinosaurs did not wear watches. Why did mankind decide to create time? To record important dates, and to give life rhythm. Instead of saying "meet me by the tower as the sun touches the sea line," It's easier to say "meet me at 5:50 by the fountain" as it gives a detailed time to meet someone. Time is just like language. The relationship between meaning and word doesn't make any sense. Why does red mean stop, instead of purple? Why does "dog" refer to the four-legged canine friend? Logically, the only part of language that makes sense is onomatopoeia, because at least the sound (like "vroom") mimics the action it is trying to portray (a car engine). And this goes for any language. Animals do not speak any written, detailed language. Humans are the only creatures that engage in concepts as silly as numbers, time, science, or language as an artistic outlet for expressing their needs. And that's basically the only function that time and science serves to mankind. It doesn't give us life-sustaining material, such as warmth, food, water, or shelter. It is just a system of recording things that happened. But it is not fundamental to the life of mankind. It is just a form of expression, and nothing more. Plus, a method is merely a belief that is widely accepted to be true. It's like saying that "white" symbolizes purity. In Japanese culture, white flowers symbolize death, while in US culture, they symbolize peace and purity. To have a method about time would be trying to fit a circle into a square. Time means several different things to different people. We do not know when time has originally started, despite what is said by professionals. It cannot be explained accurately. Therefore, how can there be a method in existence that even remotely satisfies the human desire to express the belief that time is a concept? Or, that it is not a concept? You would only get to a certain degree of comprehension before having to stop. Yahoo answers is not a professionally founded source for posing questions such as this one. You might try a university setting with the "educated" people you are looking for.