Constant Time Theory (CTT)
Any new theory of time inevitably stands in dialogue with the major scientific and philosophical traditions that have shaped our understanding of reality. CTT does not reject these traditions; it reframes them by placing time itself at the foundation of existence.
What follows is a brief overview of how Constant Time Theory relates to, and diverges from, the principal approaches in physics and philosophy.
Classical Physics: Time as an Independent Background
In classical mechanics, time is:
absolute,
uniform,
independent of the physical world,
and identical for all observers.
This model provides a valid approximation for everyday phenomena, but cannot explain:
the variability of time,
the constancy of c,
gravity’s influence on clocks,
or the expansion of the universe.
CTT agrees with classical physics that time is fundamental, but disagrees with the idea that time is passive. In CTT, time is the active field that renews reality, rather than a container in which events occur.
Relativity: Time as Geometry
Einstein revolutionised physics by merging space and time into a unified spacetime, in which gravity is described by curvature and c is an invariant limit.
CTT fully respects the empirical success of relativity.
It agrees that:
c is universal,
clocks run at different rates depending on circumstances,
gravity affects temporal progression.
Where it differs is in ontology. Relativity describes the geometry of the universe. CTT describes the field dynamics that produce that geometry.
The spacetime of relativity is the large-scale pattern of renewal interacting with structure. It is emergent, not fundamental.
Minkowski Spacetime: The Block Universe
Minkowski’s interpretation casts the universe as a four-dimensional block in which the past, present, and future exist on equal footing. This view is elegant but conflicts with direct experience and creates deep philosophical puzzles:
the absence of genuine change,
the disappearance of free will,
the paradox of a “moving present,”
the question of consciousness in a frozen universe.
CTT replaces the block universe with a renewing present, preserving the empirical predictions of relativity while restoring the reality of change, agency, and temporal flow.
Quantum Mechanics: Indeterminacy and Discreteness
Quantum theory reveals a world of:
discrete energy levels,
probabilistic outcomes,
wavefunction collapse,
and non-classical causation.
CTT resonates with this picture in several ways:
Renewal provides a natural ground for discrete events.
The present-only ontology aligns with collapse-like phenomena.
Structural stability explains why classical behaviour emerges at large scales.
While CTT is not a replacement for quantum theory, it offers a conceptual foundation that accommodates quantum uncertainty within the renewal’s interaction with structure.
Cosmology: Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Modern cosmology is dominated by the “dark sector,” yet its nature remains unclear.
CTT reinterprets these phenomena as intrinsic behaviours of time:
Dark Energy (Θ_E) — the renewing, expansive mode.
Dark Matter (Θ_S) — the structuring, stabilising mode.
This creates a unified conceptual framework:
Expansion arises from renewal.
Structure arises from stabilised patterns.
Gravity reflects resistance to renewal.
Cosmic architecture emerges from the interplay of both modes.
Rather than adding unseen entities, CTT reveals the dark sector as time’s two expressions.
Presentism, Eternalism, and the Ontology of Time
Philosophically, CTT is closest to presentism, which holds that only the present exists. But CTT goes beyond traditional presentism by providing:
a mechanism for persistence,
a foundation for memory,
a clear explanation of change,
and a metaphysics of renewal.
Unlike eternalism, which denies change, and unlike growing-block theories, which struggle to explain the origin of the “now,” CTT grounds temporal flow in the active behaviour of time itself.
Process Philosophy
Process thinkers such as Alfred North Whitehead proposed that reality is fundamentally composed of events rather than objects. CTT aligns with this intuition:
renewal creates events,
structure creates continuity,
existence unfolds through becoming.
Where process philosophy remains largely abstract, CTT ties becoming to a physically meaningful mechanism: Planck-scale renewal.
Information Theory and Complexity Science
Modern science increasingly treats reality in terms of:
information,
pattern,
complexity,
emergence.
CTT dovetails naturally with this approach:
Θ_S preserves information across renewal,
stable patterns persist because they are self-compatible,
complex systems emerge from the consistent re-instantiation of structure,
consciousness is information interpreted across renewal.
CTT therefore provides a metaphysical foundation for the information-centric worldview.
Summary of Position
CTT is not a competitor to physics or philosophy.
It is a deeper ontological framework that:
preserves the successes of modern physics,
resolves longstanding conceptual paradoxes,
explains time’s asymmetry,
grounds consciousness in the renewing present,
and unifies dark energy and dark matter as expressions of the temporal field.
It sits beneath relativity and quantum theory, providing the metaphysical foundation they currently lack.