Past

The past is the set of all past history events. There are different views, depending on the subject area, how far back must be an event to talk about the past.

• 2.1 Classical Physics
• 2.2 Theory of Relativity

• 3.1 presenteeism
• 3.2 Psychology

Grammar

Past on linguistics context may refer to:

• The linguistic realization - the Tempus - of the past
• The grammatical past tense

German grammar

The German grammar has three tenses of the past for a verb, which in turn from the near to the distant past " sorted " are:

• Preterite ( unfinished past, Nachvergangenheit, imperfect or first past in Austria often " Mitvergangenheit " ): I loved
• Perfect ( perfect present, Vorgegenwart or 2 past in Austria often "past" ): I have loved
• Pluperfect ( past perfect, past Vorvergangenheit or 3 ): I had loved

In many German-speaking regions or dialects, however, almost exclusively the Perfect is used, while other regions differentiate more strongly here.

English Grammar

The English grammar on the other hand has six different tenses of the past, although three of them progressive forms are:

• Simple Past corresponds to the German past tense: I loved
• Past Progressive: I was loving
• Present Perfect Simple, corresponds to the German Perfect: I have loved
• Present Perfect Progressive: I have been loving
• Past Perfect Simple, corresponds to the German Past Perfect: I had loved
• Past Perfect Progressive: I had been loving

Physics

Classical Physics

The arrow of time determines the direction of time from the past to the future. The past consists of the set of all events that are causally related to the event known as the present, this could affect so.

Relativity theory

In connection with the change in the idea of the notion of time since the introduction of special relativity by Albert Einstein, the terms past, present and future have undergone a reinterpretation. Since there are two events that occur simultaneously for one observer, no longer take place at the same time for a movable relative to the observer under certain circumstances, the concept of replacing " Raumartigkeit " the " simultaneity ".

Was the past used to be a point on a fictional timeline, the physics sees them now as the region in space-time, of which the observer in the present can become aware.

Philosophical perspective

Presenteeism

Present is the space in which to run all processes. Only by recording the processes involved in the present creates a fictitious past. The recorded past are only about the causal history of the processes again, a wholly owned recording of processes is virtually impossible. As the only real existent is only viewed the present, according to Plato. The past is therefore a non-existent theoretical formula, as is neither space nor matter available for their existence. The same matter that was part of past events, is in the presence of already part of new events and therefore the past offer no more existence. Strictly speaking, the word "present " is not the course of events, but it refers to space or entity.

Psychology

The reflective mind lives according to many philosophers only in the past. To bring forth a thought, was needed as a certain time and may this be all too short. Furthermore, this idea must be expressed, which in turn takes some time. Once an event is reflected, it would therefore already past. Thus it can be said that the thinking mind lives only in the past, in the memories. Presence can thus only directly, ie without experiencing the abstraction of mind.

History

The question of the past is a question which moved many people. Where do we come from? Who were our relatives? As our society has evolved? It is answered by science and religion in different ways. Many religions are based on a systematic creation of the world by a higher force. The natural sciences, however, assume that the world was created by the interaction of chance and laws.

We obtain information on the local past through the history. George Orwell described in his famous novel 1984, after the overthrow of the historiography and thus the known past is changed.

Many just want to look forward and look at some of the preoccupation with the past even as reactionary ". Forward ever, backward never "

In contrast, Heinrich Heine wrote: "Today is a result of yesterday. What this has willed we need to explore if we want to know what those wants. "

The further back is the past, the less accurate are our knowledge about it. Our ignorance of the past is no different from our ignorance of the future. Past events can never be directly observed and can be theoretically described with probabilities. To see past events as facts, is a social convention.

Various biological or physical processes make it possible to date past events approximately.

Literature and Film

In the literature, a fictional past is often described. The match actual events does not matter, but only that the fictional events are from the narrative standpoint in the past. This is done as if they were actually taking place, such as the fairy tale: " Once upon a time long, long time ago ... "

In the movie, the past is often shown in the form of flashbacks.

In the science fiction time travel allow a fictitious return to the past. This leads to paradoxes.

Quotes

• All Future bites the past in the tail. Friedrich Nietzsche