What Is Time?: An Enquiry, Paperback

We refer to time constantly, and we compulsively measure its passing--but do we know what it actually is? In What Is Time?, Truls Wyller enquires into time's complex nature, juxtaposing the latest scientific theories with our personal experience of chronology. The book examines the notion of time in physics, history, religion, anthropology, philosophy, and literature, and Wyller concludes by proposing his own theory of time: that the temporal character of any series of events is essentially practical and derived from human life. Written from a philosophical perspective, What Is Time? gives an accessible, rounded portrait of the nature of time, and it is essential reading for those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the motion of our everyday existence.

Truls Wyller is professor emeritus at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. He is the author of many books, including Objectivity and Self-Consciousness and The Size of Things: An Essay on Space and Time. Kerri Pierce is a translator focusing on Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and German. She is the translator of Lars Svendsen's A Philosophy of Loneliness, also published by Reaktion Books. She lives in Pittsford, New York.