Through the Lens of the Past: A Philosophical Inquiry into the Universe's Temporal Existence

Introduction: Seeing the Universe Through the Past

Every act of seeing, every perception we cherish, every interaction we undertake, is already over by the time it interacts with us. The photons that illuminate the world around us, the waves that convey sound, the neurons that fire in our brains,  all unfold through intervals of time that separate cause and effect. When we gaze at the night sky, we are witnesses not to the stars as they exist now, but to light that left them perhaps millions or billions of years ago. In that sense, the universe presents itself to us as a gallery of memory, a cosmos of its own recollection.

This recognition is not merely a poetic observation about the cosmos; it is a profound statement about existence itself. The finite speed of light,  the fastest messenger we know,  ensures that no interaction occurs instantaneously. Every exchange of energy, matter, or information traverses a temporal gap, however brief. Consequently, nothing in the universe interacts in the present. The "now," which we habitually take for granted, is forever inaccessible as a moment of immediate connection.

This essay seeks to explore the philosophical implications of a universe governed by temporal mediation. Through thought experiments and reflections on physics, this essay examines a paradoxical reality: a cosmos that is simultaneously still and dynamic, present and past, inert and alive. At the heart of this inquiry lies a simple question: if every interaction occurs through the past, what does it mean to exist?

The Thought Experiment: Mirrors in Time

Imagine two mirrors, A and B, facing one another in space. At time t0, a flash of light departs from mirror A toward mirror B. The light takes a finite duration t = t1-t0 to reach its target. This journey, seemingly trivial in elementary physics, conceals a profound truth about relational existence.

At the moment the light departs from A, mirror B exists, fully formed in the presence of t0. Yet B cannot "know" of A's action until the light arrives. Likewise, any reflection from B will require another temporal interval to return to A. Thus, each mirror experiences the other only as it was, never as it is. Replace these mirrors with two people, two atoms, or two galaxies, and the principle remains unchanged: interactions occur only through the past.

This simple experiment illuminates a paradox: the universe is composed of entities that exist independently in the present but communicate exclusively via past interactions. The "present" becomes a realm of silent, self-contained existence, while relational reality, the interactions, is forever mediated by time.

The Paradox of the Present

If every interaction unfolds through the past, what then constitutes the "present"? Is it a convenient fiction, a mathematical abstraction, or a fundamental mode of being?

In the mirror scenario, t0 represents the self-contained existence of each mirror. The mirrors exist, but they do not interact in that instant. Mutual reality emerges only after light has traversed the distance between them. This introduces a radical duality: each entity exists in the present for itself but with others only through memory.

Viewed philosophically, this suggests that the universe is a constellation of "temporal islands," each entity inhabiting a private present yet interconnected through delayed relationships. Existence, then, is dual: it is simultaneously self-contained and relationally mediated. In such a universe, motion, causation, and interaction are never truly immediate. The present becomes an inert frontier, a moment of being unaccompanied by doing.

Our conventional understanding of existence equates being with interaction. To exist is to act, to influence, to relate. Yet if every relation is temporally delayed, the present cannot be identified with action. It is instead a condition of potentiality, a silent canvas upon which temporal processes paint the evolving cosmos.

Space as Static and Active

From this perspective, space assumes a dual nature: it is both static and active. The non-divisible present, t0, represents space as a frozen totality. All matter and energy exist as a single, indivisible configuration. No motion occurs, no forces act, no change transpires, for change requires duration. This is the inert face of reality, the stage upon which all temporal activity is eventually projected.

Yet extend beyond the instantaneous t0 into a finite interval t1−t0, and the universe bursts into motion. Light travels, particles collide, forces manifest, and interactions unfold. This is the dynamic face of reality, the world we experience directly.

Thus, the universe simultaneously is and becomes. Static and dynamic, inert and active, indivisible and divisible — these are not separate realities but complementary modes of existence. Their tension generates the fabric of temporal and material reality, blurring the boundary between physics and metaphysics.

The Non-Divisible and the Divisible: Two Modes of Time

Time itself exhibits duality in this framework. The instantaneous present, t0 , is non-divisible. Like a mathematical point, it exists without extension. Measurement, causation, and change are impossible within this singularity.

In contrast, any finite interval t1−t0 is divisible. It is measurable, analysable, and subject to change. Within this temporal span, motion occurs, interactions propagate, and the universe unfolds as a sequence of causally linked events.

The interplay of non-divisible and divisible time mirrors ancient philosophical dichotomies. In Vedantic thought, Brahman represents the timeless absolute, while Maya embodies temporal phenomena. Western philosophy, from Parmenides to Heraclitus, similarly grapples with the concepts of being and becoming. Here, the duality is reconciled: the universe is simultaneously static and flowing, singular and manifold, eternal and transient.

The Inert Universe and the Limits of Physical Law

At the instantaneous present, physical law itself becomes paradoxical. Motion requires duration, force requires difference, and energy transfer requires intervals. Newtonian mechanics, Einstein's relativity, and quantum dynamics all presuppose temporal extension.

At t0 , these laws are temporarily suspended. The universe exists in a condition of pure, inert totality, a singular point of unmediated being. It is a state in which the rules of change do not apply. Paradoxically, it is this very inertness that enables the dynamic unfolding of reality. The laws of physics govern transitions, not the instants they connect.

This insight sheds light on cosmological and quantum enigmas. Singularities, wave function collapse, and other anomalies may be glimpses of the universe confronting its non-divisible present. In these moments, existence transcends temporal causality, revealing the foundation upon which the measurable, mutable universe rests.

Human consciousness mirrors this cosmic duality. We perceive ourselves as inhabiting a continuous present, yet all sensory data is delayed by neural processing, photon travel, and mechanical transduction. Every interaction, from speech to sight, unfolds through past events.

Consciousness, remarkably, smooths over these temporal gaps. It constructs a seamless sense of "now," stitching together innumerable pasts into a coherent experiential present. In essence, our minds perform a cosmic act of recollection, synthesising discrete temporal intervals into the illusion of immediate being.

Thus, to be conscious is to inhabit both modes of existence simultaneously: the timeless, inert self, and the active, relational self that engages with the past. Awareness itself becomes a bridge between the non-divisible present and the divisible duration of becoming.

The Ethics of the Past-Dependent Universe

If all interactions unfold through past events, ethical considerations acquire temporal depth. Every action, word, or thought reaches others only after a delay. Responsibility, therefore, is never immediate but distributed across time. The effects of deeds ripple outward like echoes, reverberating through the fabric of time.

Similarly, understanding, empathy, and forgiveness are constrained by the universe's temporal mediation. We cannot fully know another being as they are in the present, only as they were in the past. 

Judgments, therefore, must acknowledge temporal incompleteness. Humility becomes an existential imperative; patience becomes a moral virtue.

In this light, existence is an ongoing negotiation with temporal reality. Ethical living requires recognition that the present is a horizon we cannot grasp, and that relational responsibility is an engagement with the memories of others' states of being.

The universe, in its dual temporal nature, simultaneously obeys and transcends physical law. Over finite durations, causality, energy conservation, and relativistic constraints govern interactions. Yet within the instantaneous present, these laws lose operational significance.

This coexistence is not a contradiction but a necessity. The inert, lawless instant provides the foundation upon which temporal processes, governed by law, unfold. Duration and instant, order and stillness, law and exception, form a balanced system that underpins both the cosmos and conscious experience.

Viewed philosophically, the universe may be understood as a vast network of memories. Each particle carries the imprint of prior interactions; each event resonates into future intervals. Light from distant stars is more than illumination — it is information, a message from the past.

Reality becomes, therefore, an act of recollection. The universe remembers itself through matter, energy, and light. Our own consciousness participates in this act, weaving personal and cosmic pasts into a coherent narrative of existence. In this view, to exist is to be an agent of memory, bridging the temporal intervals that constitute reality.

Conclusion

The thought experiment of mirrors highlights the most profound paradox of temporal existence. Every perception, every interaction, is mediated by past intervals. The present is a still point, an inert moment of self-contained being, while time unfolds around it as motion, interaction, and change.

The universe is therefore both static and dynamic, timeless and temporal, indivisible and divisible. These dualities coexist, generating the phenomena of matter, motion, and consciousness. Existence is an engagement with this duality: to be aware of stillness while participating in flow, to inhabit the present while acting through past connections.

Ultimately, the universe is not merely situated in time; it is time itself,

the instant and the interval, the presence and the memory, the inert and the alive. To live, then, is to remember the past into being, to recognise the present as both silence and stage, and to participate in the eternal paradox of stillness and motion.

Narendra raghunath

 

Schrödinger’s Cat, Love, Art and the foundation of design.

This morning, while working on a caricature head in artificial clay, I found myself shaping the subtle features of its face to convey a particular expression. As I adjusted the muscles and contours, the face shifted through a spectrum of emotions, inner feelings, desires, decisions, determination, and even the marks of time and ageing. Together, these elements form the essence of an individual.

In Kathakali, I have heard of actors who strive to perfect two contrasting expressions on their faces simultaneously, an ability achieved only after years of disciplined practice. In everyday life, however, such a skill is rare. We sometimes see ambiguous or puzzling expressions, yet even these usually settle into one dominant emotional state. In other words, the human face naturally collapses all possible expressions into a single one, communicating a person’s present state of mind, feeling, or intention. Without expression, no one can honestly know whether such inner states exist. They cannot be touched, seen, heard, smelled, or tasted unless they manifest through expression.

Schrödinger illustrated this principle beautifully in his famous thought experiment. He imagined a cat inside a closed box, with a device that would release poison if triggered by the random decay of a particle. The decay is possible but unpredictable. Until the box is opened, the cat’s fate: alive or dead, remains unknowable. Observation collapses all possible states into one: life or death.

As I shaped the clay figure’s face, I realised I was holding my own version of Schrödinger’s box. Until I decided on a specific expression, collapsing all other possibilities, the character did not truly exist. Without that choice, it remained a face without identity, concealing its reality from the observer.
In Mahāyāna Buddhism, there is a related concept known as dependent arising. It teaches that a phenomenon exists only in relation to other phenomena. A child exists only because there are parents; likewise, parents only truly become “parents” when a child is born. Before that, they are simply two individuals capable of imagining parenthood, but not yet inhabiting it. While conception and birth may be described as cause and effect, the concept of “parent” becomes a lived reality only with the arrival of the child. Much like Schrödinger’s cat, all other possibilities collapse when one specific reality, in this case, parenthood, is realised.

This may be a simplistic way of explaining reality. In truth, it reveals a complex relationship, a trilogy of art, artist, and observer present in all things. The observer must first grasp the concept of life and death (art), as expressed through the symbolism of the cat and the box (artist), in order to observe and collapse all possibilities into one: alive or dead, through judgment. In the same way, dependent arising requires the interplay of observer, box, and cat as epistemological factors, and observation, concealment, and life as ontological factors.

From this perspective, when I mould the clay’s facial muscles into a particular expression, collapsing all other options into one, I define the individual for all who will see it. A smile will make the person seem pleasant; a shout will make them appear angry. The reality of the individual — perhaps long dead and now existing only in the abstract realm of memory — is replaced by my chosen perception.

My perception then gives birth to a new one. By fixing one facial expression, I create a “reality” — but not necessarily the truth of that person. I work with an abstract image drawn from the many abstractions others hold. That is what we do in life: we relate to people and things through our own perceptions, treating those as reality. Like Schrödinger’s description, we collapse possibilities into a single relationship with the “other” and live according to that chosen version.

Friends, family, partners, colleagues, neighbours, rivals, even enemies — all are filtered through such perspectives. We collapse countless possibilities into one or two narratives, and from them build our actions, reactions, and relationships. In this way, we ourselves become the trilogy: artist, art, and observer.
The “reality” we experience is not the objective truth, but an abstract perspective born with us. In the closed box, the cat may be dead or alive. What moves us to open the box: curiosity, compassion, or love, shapes not only what we see, but how we experience it. If curiosity drives us, we merely check the cat’s state and move on. If compassion drives us, we respond to the trauma if the cat is dead. But if love is our motive, the moment transcends the experiment: the cat’s state becomes a profoundly personal, transformative experience.

At that point, the box, the cat, and the experiment fade into the background. The act becomes spiritual. Unlike the ordinary emotions of pain, anger, hatred, or ambition, the grace of selfless love, sacrifice, and heroism redefines the reality before us. Here, the self dissolves. Only the “other” and their perceived worth remain.

As a sculptor, when I carve another person’s likeness, I realise we are all sculptors in our own way, shaping others in our imagination and treating that abstract as their reality. But when we abandon all other perspectives and choose to carve love, sacrifice, and heroism into the face, something shifts: the person is freed from the bonds of my own perspectives. The cat, beyond my sight, does not need my observation or my reference to exist. I cease to be relevant to the cat’s reality, just as the question of whether it is alive or dead ceases to matter from the cat’s own standpoint.

Today, while making portraits, I realised that many of the confusions and complexities in our relationships with the unknown, with others, and with the future arise from our self-referential or human-centred worldview, where the act of observing, the observed, and the observer define reality, collapsing it to a single version with us at the centre. But if we release the unknown, others, and the future from this self-reference, with love, tolerance (sacrifice), and letting go (heroism), our egocentric perspectives dissolve, and with them much of our suffering and that of others.

With that awareness, as I carved the faces, I found myself for the first time in a long while holding beautiful people in my hands, people who had lived beautiful lives.

The cats of the world need not live or die because Schrödinger chooses to open or close the box in pursuit of the unknown from his self-referential quantum mechanics viewpoint.

The cat was never merely part of that thought experiment. It was the divine, the art of liberation, and the love hidden behind the unknown - the foundation of design. 

 

Quantum Entanglement, Ubuntu and Design Practice

 

In Hindu and Buddhist cosmology—especially in the Avatamsaka Sutra of Mahayana Buddhism—the idea of Indra's Net offers a powerful metaphor for how the universe works. Indra's Net is imagined as an endless web, where every knot or point is a shining jewel. Each jewel reflects all the others, showing that everything in the universe is connected and nothing exists in isolation. This reflects the Buddhist concept of dependent arising where everything comes into being through relationships, not on its own.

Similar ideas appear in Zen Buddhism and Daoism, which both reject the notion of separation between self and other. They see this separation as an illusion. In Advaita Vedanta, a school of Hindu philosophy, the same belief exists: the ultimate reality, Brahman, is not different from the individual soul or Atman. The idea that they are separate is a trick of perception, called Maya.

In Western philosophy, these views have parallels. For example, the 17th-century thinker Leibniz proposed a theory called Monadology, where reality is made up of indivisible units called monads. Each monad reflects the whole universe within itself, just like the jewels in Indra's Net. They don't interact directly, but remain in harmony, as if "pre-programmed" to move in sync.

Other Western philosophies also support the idea that reality is based on relationships. Plato's Theory of Forms says that the physical world is just a shadow of higher, unchanging truths. Phenomenology, especially in the writings of Husserl and Heidegger, focuses on how meaning and understanding come through the relationship between the observer and the world. Carl Jung's concept of synchronicity, where events seem connected in meaningful ways, even without direct cause—also echoes this idea. Even Marxist theory sees individuals and states as deeply interlinked through social and economic structures.

In this broader philosophical context, quantum entanglement in physics seems less like a revolutionary concept and more like a modern echo of ancient truths. In quantum theory, two or more particles can become entangled, meaning their states are linked. If you observe one particle, the state of the other changes instantly, even if it's on the other side of the universe. Einstein famously called this "spooky action at a distance".

This is strikingly similar to Indra's Net: a universe where touching one part immediately affects the whole, without sending any message or signal. Quantum entanglement shows us that everything might be far more connected than we usually believe.

Quantum Entanglement, Ubuntu, and Design Thinking

This concept becomes more than a scientific curiosity in today's networked, globalised society. It becomes a foundation for how we live and design. No matter how small, every person, event, or action has ripple effects that touch others. Systems like global trade, finance, the internet, transport, education, and energy shape our lives. On the surface, things may seem unrelated, but when seen through the lens of quantum entanglement, we realise that everything is deeply connected.

For example, a slight change in interest rates in India or the US might seem local. However, that change can influence international trade, affect prices of raw materials like fertiliser, change how farmers use chemicals, and even shift insect populations in faraway countries. Those changes then affect crop production, local economies, job markets, and global consumption patterns. Even insects, which don't use money or care about economics, are indirectly impacted by financial decisions made continents away. This example may be over simplified, but it illustrates the key point: local events have global consequences, whether we realise it or not.

This is where the African philosophy of Ubuntu becomes essential. Ubuntu is a design principle reflecting life's interconnected nature, much like quantum entanglement. The Zulu expression "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" translates to "a person is a person through other people." Ubuntu teaches that we are who we are because of others.

At its core, Ubuntu is about shared humanity, compassion, and responsibility. It recognises that no person exists in isolation. Our well-being depends on the well-being of others. Ubuntu calls for empathy, kindness, and mutual respect. It also stresses the importance of healing rather than punishment, when conflicts arise, the goal should be to repair and reunite, not to isolate and harm. It is a system rooted in wholeness and restoration.

The Future of Design: Healing 

The crises we face today—environmental, political, economic, or cultural—result from divided thinking and actions based on separation rather than unity. If we hope to design a better future, we must change how we see the world. We must move beyond solving isolated problems and instead adopt a healing approach that considers each issue to be connected to others.

When viewed alongside ancient philosophies like Indra's Net or Ubuntu, Quantum entanglement teaches us this simple but profound truth: we are all part of one reality. There is no "us and them"; there is only we. And in design, this means moving away from short-term fixes and towards practices that restore, regenerate, and reconnect.

Ubuntu, as a practical philosophy, offers a guide for this shift. It already embodies the understanding that everything is linked, and that only through mutual care and healing can we truly thrive. The future of design—whether in education, architecture, policy, or systems—must embrace this unified view of reality, not just as an ideal but as a practical, necessary approach to healing the world that is affected by our partisan and sectorial thinking and actions.