# What is the present? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 7, 2015, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411 "2015-03-07T04:24:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BCDeb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BCDeb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BCDeb)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/1 "2015-03-07T04:24:01Z")
Good lord, man, is that what science has concluded? That we cannot actually experience the present? Because it is already past when we experience it? > **[What is the present?](https://www.straightdope.com/21344311/what-is-the-present)** Perceptually, that may be true, but who says we have to exist as merely perceptual beings? Ever practiced meditation? That has nothing to do with perception. It has everything to do with the present. Perhaps that is our only way to truly experience the present, but we can maintain that meditative state while in perceptual mode. Or pretty darned close. We can knock out of our minds all thought of the future and the past and just BE. Without any judgment upon what we see. It just is, until it is gone and we see something else in its place. This minimizes the interpretative aspect of perception. It is pretty darned close to the present. And it is a funny thing, in my experience, but we really do not need interpretation and judgment. If we get into this river, as I think of it, of the present, it just carries us along. We go where we are supposed to go. We meet who we are supposed to me. We hear and we say what we are supposed to hear and say. Etc. I thought Cecil would abstain from discussing such a philosophical issue in his question/answer blog, but this is as philosophical as it gets. ---
**Author:** ![BCDeb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BCDeb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BCDeb)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/2 "2015-03-07T05:33:34Z")
> [@BCDeb](#): > > Good lord, man, is that what science has concluded? That we cannot actually experience the present? Because it is already past when we experience it? > > [What is the present? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3214/what-is-the-present) > > Perceptually, that may be true, but who says we have to exist as merely perceptual beings? Ever practiced meditation? That has nothing to do with perception. It has everything to do with the present. Perhaps that is our only way to truly experience the present, but we can maintain that meditative state while in perceptual mode. Or pretty darned close. We can knock out of our minds all thought of the future and the past and just BE. Without any judgment upon what we see. It just is, until it is gone and we see something else in its place. This minimizes the interpretative aspect of perception. It is pretty darned close to the present. > > And it is a funny thing, in my experience, but we really do not need interpretation and judgment. If we get into this river, as I think of it, of the present, it just carries us along. We go where we are supposed to go. We meet who we are supposed to meet. We hear and we say what we are supposed to hear and say. Etc. > > I thought Cecil would abstain from discussing such a philosophical issue in his question/answer blog, but this is as philosophical as it gets. Why do I not have the ability to edit my posts? I can only do it in a reply. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/3 "2015-03-07T06:27:28Z")
The present is the distillation of the past and the fount of the future. It is what is, is. There is a branch of philosophy called ontology that discusses being. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/4 "2015-03-07T15:17:53Z")
> [@BCDeb](#): > > Why do I not have the ability to edit my posts? I can only do it in a reply. The present is only 5 minutes long. Once those 5 minutes are in the past you can no longer edit. 😃 In other words replying doesn’t have anything to do with it. You can only edit your own posts for 5 minutes after you post them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/5 "2015-03-07T17:36:43Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > The present is only 5 minutes long. Once those 5 minutes are in the past you can no longer edit. 😃 > > In other words replying doesn’t have anything to do with it. You can only edit your own posts for 5 minutes after you post them. I think you’ve hit on something. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/6 "2015-03-07T18:04:09Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > I think you’ve hit on something. But only in the sense that it’s already ancient history. As is this. Oh, and now that. ::head explodes:: ---
**Author:** ![florencetaylor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/florencetaylor/32/7318_2.png) [@florencetaylor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/florencetaylor)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/7 "2015-03-11T07:01:50Z")
The present (or now) is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is a period of time between the past and the future, and can vary in meaning from being an instant to a day or longer. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/8 "2015-03-11T15:31:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Good lord, man, is that what science has concluded? That we cannot actually experience the present? Because it is already past when we experience it? Maybe there is a scientific definition. If an event has not yet been _encoded_ into [long term memory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_memory), but is still in [working memory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_memory), we can say that event is in the present. Any action you take on an event that’s still in short term memory is the present. A bear is suddenly lunges towards you, and you climb a tree to escape. That’s the present because that’s in working memory. You climb down the tree, head back to your village, and say _“Hey, you won’t believe what happened! I got attacked by a bear”_. That is now in your long term memory and is in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/9 "2015-03-11T19:48:07Z")
> [@BCDeb](#): > > Good lord, man, is that what science has concluded? You can discuss the issue with science or you can discuss the issue with mystical hoo-hah. If you do the latter, you wind up saying things like “we really do not need interpretation and judgment.” We do, dude. We really, really do. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/10 "2015-03-12T17:53:51Z")
> [@cecil](#): > > More crucially, it may well be that only humans have episodic memory — i.e., reconstructed knowledge of past events based on one’s own perceptions. Perhaps ‘science’ thinks it’s being parsimonious here, but science is really just being human-centric doodie heads. There’s no reason the null hypothesis should ever be, ‘only humans do this.’ As a counter-argument, I submit strong evidence that dogs have dreams - REM, and sometimes muffled barks and movement of the legs. Dreams are fanciful, but they are clearly constructed based on past experience. The difference between that and ‘reconstructed knowledge’ is a distinction without a meaningful difference. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/11 "2015-03-12T22:22:19Z")
According to Eugene O’Neill, “There is no present or future; only the past, happening over and over again, right now.” ---
**Author:** ![BCDeb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BCDeb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BCDeb)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/12 "2015-03-16T18:18:18Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > You can discuss the issue with science or you can discuss the issue with mystical hoo-hah. If you do the latter, you wind up saying things like “we really do not need interpretation and judgment.” > > We do, dude. We really, really do. Well I would respectfully argue (still on the level of “mystical hoo-hah”) that interpretation and judgment interfere with the mind’s ability to function as a knower. ---
**Author:** ![Gretchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8edcca/32.png) [@Gretchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gretchion)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/13 "2015-03-20T22:18:40Z")
When will then be now? ---
**Author:** ![davethehammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davethehammer/32/7317_2.png) [@davethehammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davethehammer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/14 "2015-03-20T22:41:08Z")
LOL what a load of pseudo intellectual pointless bullpucky ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/15 "2015-03-20T23:16:12Z")
> [@davethehammer](#): > > LOL what a load of pseudo intellectual pointless bullpucky Welcome to SDMB! ---
**Author:** ![davethehammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davethehammer/32/7317_2.png) [@davethehammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davethehammer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/16 "2015-03-20T23:25:17Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Welcome to SDMB! I meant the article,not the site ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/17 "2015-03-20T23:44:19Z")
> [@davethehammer](#): > > I meant the article,not the site I knew what you meant. Judging from what you think of this thread, I think you will be less than impressed with a great many threads that many members (myself included) find fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![davethehammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davethehammer/32/7317_2.png) [@davethehammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davethehammer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-present/714411/18 "2015-03-21T00:10:07Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > I knew what you meant. Judging from what you think of this thread, I think you will be less than impressed with a great many threads that many members (myself included) find fascinating. this appears a few steps above Godlike-productions already LOL. serious,reasonable,not too serious…but not dumb either