Evening star., 1939-05-07
British Scientist
Advances Theory Of
Infinite Times
Hypothesis Promises
To RevoIutionize Human
Structure Of Thought
Nv THOMAS r. HENRY.

from autocratic rule over the uni
verse and made only one of an in
finite variety Of times.
This, and an accompanying hypo-
thesis of universe in which all
things are stretching, was pro-
pounded by DR.. E. A. Milne, British
mathematical philosopher. in an ef-
fort to provide logical explanation
for some hitherto apparently un-
answerable paradoxes in the be-
havior of creation.
Notable among these is that of the
apparently expanding universe. Be-
yond the outermost bounds of the
great Milky Way galaxy, of which
the solar system is a part, across
voids of millions of light years of
empty space, are scattered innumer-
able other galaxies of comparable
size. About 10 years ago it was
found that nearly all these are NOV
Ing outward at speeds which increase
with their distance from an observer
on earth.
One of the consequences of the
Oxford University philosophers the
sis, first presented today, is that this
stretching away from the observer
may be fundamental to all matter
that, for example, the pencil one
holds in the hand is growing longer
by an amount far too minute ever
to be detected by any earthly meas
urements-that is, by one part Of
its length in 1000, ,000, 900 a year
and that the apparent enormous ex-
pansions observed over millions of
light years are simply the sum of
all this stretching.
An Imaginary Rope.
Actually, said DR.. Milne, if we
could tie rope from the earth, as
suming it to be stationary, and the
farthest of the retreating galaxies,
this rope never would be observed
to lengthen and certainly would not
break, so small would be the in
crease in length. .4e
The hypothesis advanced by DR..
Milne today, the outcome of a de-
cade of thought, promises to be
as revolutionary for the whole struc-
ture of human thought as was the
theory of relativity 20 years ago.
The latter discarded mans intui-
tive ideas of space and made space
dependent on its relations to time.
DR.. Milne discards mans intuitive
ideas of time, holds that there may
be as many kinds of time as one
wants, and that the problem is to
select, the sort of time that best
hts experience. In other words,
he would make the physical phe-
nomena of the universe fit time and
not make time fit a physical
phenomenon, such as the rate of
q clock
1t requires, DR.. Milne said, get
ting over some high mathematical
and psychological hurdles, especial
ly the latter because the idea of one
sort of time is so ingrained in the
human mind.
1T is only" he said, "by perform
ing an act of remuneration, by tenn
porarily agreeing not to make out
side appeals, or appeals to things
logically posterior, that we can hope
to find satisfactory basis for physi-
cal science. In dealing with the
universe as a whole, unlike the
earth or solar system or the galac-
tic system, we have no externally
given frame of reference It is es-
sential to begin with first prin-
ciples, just as in pure mathematics
one builds up successfully negative
integers and irrational numbers
without appeal to any intuitive or
Empirical knowledge one may sup
pose ones self to possess at any
stage of the argument"
r and Tau Times.
q While DR.. Milne insisted on the
possibility of an infinite variety of
times, any one of which is just as
plausible as the other when in
grained human prejudices are laid
aside, he actually uses only two
kinds which he names T and Tau.
The latter is the time of human
experience-the same both in the
systems of Newton and Einstein. In
this time a particle started mov-
ing in a vacuum with no outside
forces brought to bear upon it will
continue moving at the same speed
forever. There will be no slowing
down or no speeding up.
The retreating galaxies seem to
demand an acceleration of time and
DR.. Milne simply introduces a kind
OF time that accelerates-his So
called ct" Anybody who desires,
he said, can pick out still another
kind of time and figure the whole
thing out independently.
Actually, DR.. Milne said, it is DOS
sible to build up a concept of the
universe, retreating nebulae and all,
with either T or Tau, but the pic
lures are Weirdly different. When
Tau is used the result is an infinity
OF galaxies in an infinity of space
in which they can 60 on speeding up
forever With the use of T. how
ever, space becomes finite, although
the number of nebulae still remains
infinite.
Every individual is the center of
the universe. Further and further
away from this center the density
OF distribution of the galaxies be-
comes thicker and thicker until
there is reached circle of infinite
thickness" defining the limits of
space itself. But it is an ever-dis-
solving wall, for it always must re-
main a great circle with the indi-
vidual in the center of it and as he
moves it moves.
For everything within the Milky
Way galaxy itself, Dr. Milne said,
calculations based on the Tau" sort
of time are entirely adequate. It
served both Newton and Einstein. It
is a sort of home town time and as
good as any other until one en-
counters things which cannot be ex-
planned by it.
Strange Light Explained.