Studies on the structure of time: From Physics to Psycho(patho)logy

by R. Buccheri (Editor), Vito di Gesù (Editor), Metod Saniga (Editor)

Overview

Every human being is aware of the flow of time. This fact is embodied in the existence of such notions as the past and the future, the two domains being separated from each other by the single moment of the present. While the past is regarded as fixed and definite, the future is viewed as unknown, uncertain, and undetermined. The only perceivable moment is the present, the ‘now' - the ever-changing point moving from the past into the future.
Physics tells us a different story: not only are the vast majority of physical laws time-reversible, but the concept of the ‘now' itself has no place at all in physics. In other words, the equations of physics do not distinguish between the past and the future and seem to be completely oblivious to the very idea of the present.
This book discusses the biological and psychological aspects of perception of time, and the problems related to the determination of location arising from quantum physics, together with comments and opinions from philosophers and physicists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461369226
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	02/01/2014
Series:	Progress in Inflammation Research Series
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2000
Pages:	306
Product dimensions:	7.01(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

T cells as secondary players in rheumatoid arthritis.- T cell receptor rearrangements in arthritis.- T cell-independent joint destruction.- Role of T cells in arthritis: Lessons from animal models.- The Th1/Th2 cytokine balance in arthritis.- Interactions between T cell plasma membranes and monocytes.- Adhesion molecules in arthritis: Control of T cell migration into the synovium.- T cell reactivity to Epstein-Barr virus in rheumatoid arthritis.- T cell responses in reactive and Lyme arthritis.- T cell directed therapies and biologics.- T cells as primary players in rheumatoid arthritis.

Editorial Reviews

In retrospect, perhaps it was always just a matter of time before the cute-parentheses disease spread from the humanities to the sciences. Mathematicians and scientists from Italy, elsewhere in Europe, North America, and Brazil focus on the discrepancy between the concept of time as described in physics and the way time is perceived by humans. Beginning with altered state of consciousness in which the perception of time is very different from normal, they search for relations between the two concepts of time and the possibility for describing those relations in the language of science. They cover biological and psychological aspects of time, quantum physics and the arrow of time, and real or illusive time. The 20 papers are from an international and interdisciplinary workshop held in Palermo, Italy, in November 1999. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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