Philosophy For Our Times How to fathom timelessness | Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes
Oct 14, 2025
Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, a philosopher specializing in mind and metaphysics, dives into the concept of timelessness and its relation to mysticism and psychedelics. He explores how our perception of time can shift in extreme situations, and discusses Spinoza's ideas on eternal existence. The conversation highlights the tension between time's abstract nature and subjective experience, including the potential of psychedelics to unlock insights about the eternal. Sjöstedt-Hughes also addresses the implications of these ideas on our understanding of reality and existence.
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Two Faces Of Time
- Time as we live it splits into lived duration and an abstract timeline used by physics.
- The mind creates the present, so past/present/future may not be mind-independent features of reality.
Past, Present, Future As Mind-Dependent
- The triplicity of past, present, and future is the essence of time but may be a subjective feature.
- Physics lacks an objective 'present' and thus undermines the mind-independent reality of the triplicity.
The Specious Present Varies
- The specious present is the subjective length of 'now' and can expand or contract.
- Attention and circumstance (e.g., danger) alter the perceived speed or rhythm of time.
