From transformations to the notion of time

Abstract

In this paper I expose an ontological-existential interpretation of time via its unveiling and analysis in an example of scientific measurement in a chemical transformation. I begin with the search for time in the transformation, and little by little I explain its characteristics and structures. I finally interpret the time involved in the measurement and the usual concept of linear time by means of the Heidegger's concept of temporality (originary time). The paper is an attempt to explain Heidegger's existential ontology to non-specialist thinkers interested in understanding the subject of time from approaches different from those of their field, as may be the case of many contemporary scientists. For this reason, it develops the ideas step by step and in an expository way, but gradually entering the precise and rigorous Heideggerian terminology necessary for the temporal analysis. Finally, it should be noted that this work contains novel interpretations of several of the ideas and expressions of Heidegger's thought.