Life and the Nature of Time

Investigating the Conceptual, Ethical and Ontological Implications of Astrobiology
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-031-81357-3
Verlag: Springer International Publishing AG

Buch, Englisch, 250 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Space and Society

One of the more contentious debates to emerge into scientific prominence has been whether life is prevalent in the cosmos and its level of complexity. The author of this book argues that, of the many factors that shape this debate, one of the most overlooked yet crucial rests on the different roles that temporal organization plays in biotic systems.

Further, the author claims that, although the origin and evolution of life is dependent on the arrow of time, rooted in entropy, the traditional understanding of time’s arrow alone is insufficient to account for the diverse types of temporal processes characteristic of living organisms; most notably, the diverse functions played by past-present-future in shaping biotic systems. Far from a minor problem, he argues that the forms of temporal (bio-tensed) organization utilized by biotic systems shape not only the emergence and prevalence of all life, but also the scientific theories we use to explain the universe along with the moral concepts that inform our responsibilities to extraterrestrial life (should we find any). 
Drawing from philosophy, the life sciences and astrobiology, this book claims that understanding the centrality of temporality for living systems provides crucial insights that help answer the epistemological, ethical and ontological challenges that face astrobiology’s search for the origins and prevalence of life in the universe. 

Zielgruppe

Upper undergraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Howard, Jason

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Kosmologie, Urknalltheorie
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Wissenschaftstheorie, Wissenschaftsphilosophie
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Physik Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Philosophie: Allgemeines, Methoden
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Quantenphysik Relativität, Gravitation
• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Astronomie: Allgemeines
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Mechanik Gravitation

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction.- The Revolutionary Implications of Astrobiology.- Are Math and Logic Universal Throughout the Cosmos?.- How Important Is Time for Understanding Life in The Universe?.- Is Ethics just for Humans?.- Conclusion -- How to Think about a Beginning That Never Ends: Unlikely Lessons from Hegel and Badiou.- Index.- Bibliography.

Über Autor(innen)

Dr. Jason J. Howard is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Ethics, Culture and Society at Viterbo University (La Crosse, Wisconsin).  He has published articles on Hegel, philosophy of emotion, aesthetics, social-political philosophy, an article on astrobiology, and has authored one book on ethics ( ) and another on enhancing students’ critical reasoning through collaborative problem-solving ( ).  He is also the Chief Editor of the journal . His primary research interests for the past decade have focused on philosophical and ethical problems related to the origins of life.