Concept of time

It's a cliche' you hear all the time, "That person has no concept of time."

So, it struck me as somewhat humorous as the topic came up while I continue to read Strauss and Howe's book "Fourth Turning," about the cyclical nature of American history/generations.

According to them, there have been (and, I suppose, continue to be) three ways of conceptualizing time:

1. Chaotic. This is the most ancient view, that things happen randomly. One historic event doesn't predicate another. Things just happen. (Think along the lines of Forrest Gump.)

2. Cyclical. As civilization progressed and historians began to record events for posterity, paterns emerged. Obviously, this is the way Strauss and Howe would like us to approach the passage of time. It plays in to their theories.

3. Linear. This is the mindset that has gripped western perceptions since the Protestant reformation, whereby events are seen as happening in a sequence. One thing leads to another in a progression, almost inevitably.

Anyway, I brought all this up in case you're ever accused of having no concept of time. You can just respond to your accuser, "Oh, I do, but I just think cyclically instead of linearly!"