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Revision as of 07:31, 30 March 2005 by 65.95.160.205 (talk) (→Mathematics)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Time Cube is a concept promoted by Gene Ray on his Time Cube website, postulating that time is cubic, not linear, and that there are four simultaneous days in a single rotation of Earth. Promoters of the theory argue that Time Cube observably manifests itself in significant ways. However, from the point of view of critics, some of whom invoke Academic scientific principles, it is unclear how Ray's ideas relate to any established concept of time, and due to an alleged lack of testable hypotheses or predictions associated with Time Cube doctrine (some base this on finding the theory's exposition to be semantically unclear), it is not falsifiable. According to the majority of academic scientists, it therefore falls into the category of speculative belief and cannot be considered compatible with currently accepted mainstream principles of physics and science. Ray, however, claims Time Cube's supremacy on the grounds that "Time Cube is above academic comprehension. Universities equate doomed Towers of Babble.", and he claims to "have demonstrated absolute unrefutable proof". The most common view is that Time Cube is somewhat eccentric —and notoriously poetic—fringe philosophy.
Nature's Harmonic Simultaneous 4-Day Time Cube
Supremacy of Four
Ray states that "4 is the supreme number of the universe" and frequently divides continua into four classes, much like the Greeks did with the four humours and the four elements. More specifically, these continua tend to be cycles, which the 4 classes divide into quarters or quadrants. The classes are called corners, and there are several sets of them mentioned:
- The four corners of human races are black, white, Asian, and Indian
- The four corners/stages of a person's lifetime are baby, child, parent, and grandparent
- The four corners of a person's head are the face, two ears, and back of the head
- The four corners of Earth are the following: the places where days start at midnight, the places where days start at sunrise, the places where days start at noon, and the places where days start at sunset. Ray calls these corners Midnight, Sunup, Midday and Sundown, respectively. (more on this below)
- The four corners of the day are midnight, 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM
- The four corners of the year are the two equinoxes and two solstices
According to Ray, the four corners of the earth divide the earth into four quadrants. For example, the Sunup quadrant is the portion of the earth in which days start closer to sunrise than to noon, midnight or sunset. Even though polar regions do not experience the same phenomenon at different times of day, they too are partitioned into the four quadrants. This is to be expected, given that the 4 corners converge and cancel in the polar regions. To determine their precise alignment in these regions, they may be extrapolated from the more equatorial regions where they are better defined.
In any one full rotation of Earth, each of the quadrants will experience a different style of day. One will start and end at night, one will start and end in the morning, one will start and end at midday, and one will start and end in the evening. These are 4 different styles of days. The "start" of a day may be arbitrarily designated; according to the 4/16 rotation principle, any given single 24-hour rotation of Earth has 4 simultaneous days. Each of these days is associated with one of the four generic races recognized by Ray: Midnight to midnight is the Black Race Day, sunup to sunup is the Indian Race Day, midday to midday is the White Race Day, and sundown to sundown is the Asian Race Day.
He says "infinite days is stupidity", implying that it is correct to divide Earth into precisely four classes of location, and that a continuum of locations is incorrect. He also calls the universal Greenwich Mean Time standard "bastardly queer" because it represents only one style of day. Anything associated with those who adhere to the standard, and beliefs related to the standard, are derisively referred to as "1-day", rather than "4-day".
He says that each corner of Earth experiences the four corners of the day. So that's a total of sixteen corner-configurations (or 16 "space times" as he says) experienced by humanity during every rotation of Earth.
4-corner-quadrant division
Dr Ray has stated that "4 is the supreme number of the universe. There is no 1 in 4-corner metamorphosis." The supremacy of the number 4 relates to the 4-corner-quadrant division, shown at right. A circle, such as Earth's equator, is divided into four 90-degree quadrants; and it is contained within a square, which has four 90-degree quadrants. There is a correlation between the four right-angles of the centre division, and the four right-angles of the bounding polygon; and this harmonic correlation is unique. For instance, it would not exist were the circle divided into 3 120-degree sectors and enclosed within an equilateral triangle with 60-degree angles. This unique harmonicity inherent to the 4-corner-quadrant division is the basis for concluding the supremacy of 4.
4-year
He says that because the four corners of Earth each experience the year differently (One starts on midnight and ends on midnight, etc.), that there are also four years for every revolution of Earth around the Sun. Note that the 4-days are dependent on Earth existing in all of the 4 quadrants radiating from its centre, and so for there to be an additional 4-year simultaneity, the Earth would have to simultaneously exist in all of the 4 quadrants of its orbit. Given that this is not the case, it must be concluded that the cycle of the earth's 4 simultaneous years are a consequence of 4 simultaneous days in 1 earth-rotation, rather than an additional simultaneity.
4/16 Rotation Principle
Dr Ray states that "The 4 corner quadrant Earth has 4-24 hour simultaneous Days within a single rotation of Earth". In accordance with the 4-corner-quadrant division, we divide the equator into 4 quadrants, and position it within a 4-corner square. The corners are positioned at midday, sundown, midnight and sunup. Midday and midnight are the major corners, with midday being the primary corner and midnight the opposite corner; sunup and sundown are the two minor corners, since they represent the transitions between the major corners. This Time Square is projected between the static opposites of the North and South poles to form a dilated Cube.
Let's say we have 1 person at each of the 4 corners at a point in time. Since we are considering zero time elapsed, the corners exist solely in space. They are Space Corners. Now, allowing 24 hours to elapse, there occurs a single full rotation — during which each person passes through the other 3 corners before returning to their own initial corner. They each experience 4 corners; and these corners are evident only while time elapses, meaning that they are Time Corners.
Each person experiences 4 Time Corners — that is one day for them, one full cycle of light and dark. And we have 4 people, each with 4 Time Corners, yielding a total of 16 SpaceTime configurations (a unique combination of a space corner and a time corner). 16 equals 4-by-4; the 4 Time Corners which represent one day are multiplied by 4 to obtain the full 16 configurations. In other words, each of the four people experiences a separate day during that single rotation. This proves that there are 4 simultaneous days in one rotation of Earth.
4/16 Time Cube
The combination of the four-corner rotation of the day, existing between the static Opposites of the North and South Poles, and the four stages of a person's life, existing between the opposites of Masculinity and Femininity, is referred to as the 4/16 Time Cube.
People are 1-cornered
A human lifetime is divided into four corners. Ray says that, at any given point in time, a person is one-cornered (imperfect) instead of four-cornered (perfect) because their perspective is based on experience, and their experience is based on which stage of life they are in. A person's age is not on a linear continuum; instead, when a person advances to the next corner of their lifetime, their old corner dies. This forms a 4-stage continuum, like a circle divided into 4 quadrants. Furthermore, it is arguable that the transitions between life stages are somewhat indefinite, and that the precise 4-corner division functions as a useful approximation of this.
During his appearance on techTV, Ray said of people: "A human has a top and bottom, front and back, and two sides. Now the human head has four corners: nose, two ears, and the back corner, but they only have a one-corner face, it's only one-fourth of who they think they are. One corner -- but they go around four corners in a lifetime: the baby, the child, the parent, and the grandparent. We don't recognize human metamorphosis."
Humanity as a whole
He also separates humanity into two "sex poles", male and female, and the four corners of complexion. Like other divisions into four, he allows no mixture of classes; in this case, he stands against interracial reproduction. He says: "Interracial marriage is stupid and evil for it creates a child not of either race, betraying the child and both the races."
According to him (on AboveGod.com), "If the 4 racial components of 2 sex pole hemispheres agreed to a cubing of the sphere as a spiritual unity, heavenly music of cubed sphere could be audible on Earth simultaneously to every human ear, not discord, but harmony." He doesn't believe that one race is supreme, but he does believe that they should remain separate and should stay in the geographical regions where they originated, stating "Racial integration equals 'Racial Slop'". "Cubing the sphere" apparently means separating the spherical world into four quadrants (the sides of the cube) and two poles (the top and bottom of the cube).
He also correlates the four races with the four corners of the day, based on the lightness or darkness in each:
- "The simultaneous 4 human races debunks a God for any race.
- Sunup represents Indian Race
- Midday represents White Race
- Sundown represents Asian Race
- Midnight represents Black (Negro) Race"
Ramifications on Humanity
Ray has stated that "Time Cube is the greatest social and scientific discovery of humanity, and the only thing that can save humanity from self-destruction". The principal benefit of knowledge of the Time Cube principle is seen to be the wisdom it imparts. Essentially, it provides understanding of ineffable Truth, and thereby provides a clearer understanding of the world. It thus allows people to view the world, and act within it, with greater wisdom.
Time Cube is seen to reject pacifism, as it combines with Chaos to facilitate evolution, which is a continual trend towards complex systems that satisfy Cubic principles in increasingly sophisticated ways. By recognising that if the system fails to harness chaos as leverage to propel itself towards a greater perfection, then it will experience corruption and decline, and by recognising that pacifism is an unrealistic, Chaos-denying belief in a conflict-free perfection, and that it condemns and suppresses the natural Cubic conflict-related instincts, it may be concluded that pacifism is a nihilist viewpoint, acceptance of which would be likely to result in the decline and extinction of humanity.
Furthermore, Time Cube is seen to allow for a highly existentialist viewpoint, given its inclusion of Chaos. People and communities have the choice of what actions to take, and whether to defy Chaos and, in taking risks, demonstrate their disillusionment with and rejection of clutched-straw security; and moreover, wantonly and irrepressibly follow, and impose upon oppressors, their own will, the careful consideration of which is guaranteed due to its being preponderated in reflection of the magnitude and severity of the potential negative consequences; and the motivation for the premeditation upon which this consideration depends being derived from the risk-taker's own self-esteem, which would preclude them from taking careless actions that they had not carefully determined as being compliant with the entire diapasonic scope of their loyalties, hopes and passions. As such, it is proposed that people reject the perceived safety offered to them by modern society, and courageously take drastic action to instigate pro-Cubic revolutions that will create greatly increasedly Cubic-compliant communities and values for a large proportion of the world's population.
Religion
Ray has stated that "God can't occupy 4-corners. Time Cube disproves God. God is an evil adult 'word scam' against children that justifies adult plunder of all natural resources on Earth." He invokes the Cubic geometrical principle of the Self being but 1 of 4 corners—only one out of Baby, Child, Parent, Grandparent at a time, only existing in one of Earth's four corners at a time, and having only a one-corner face on a 4-corner head (the 4 points are the nose, 2 ears and the back of the head)—to prove that a human-form God would fail to occupy the full 4 corners, and therefore could not possibly be omniscient/omnipotent. Consequently, it is illogical to claim the existence of an omniscient and omnipotent human-form God, such as the one worshipped by Judeo-Christian religions.
Religious beliefs are explained by Ray as being a Word-based contradiction of the Cubic truth. He says that words are inadequate to express truth, because any truth expressed in words can also be denied using words; everything one says has an opposite. He is concerned about children being brainwashed, indoctrinated and "Word-murdered" with doomsday religious beliefs that could lead the human race—and much of Nature as well—to mass-destruction and extinction. He is particularly concerned about Christian denominations, given their marked proselytic tendencies, and their espousal of a Pacifist philosophy, which, as explained in Ramifications on Humanity, is considered to constitute de-evolution-inducing nihilism.
Words are evil
Ray frequently excoriates words, usually in connection with teachers using them to teach contrary theories and to suppress the expression of Time Cube. He has also argued that words are inadequate to truly describe Time Cube, as the following quote reflects: "Time Cube's ineffable Truth. 'Cubeless Word' is not Truth." On the basis that everything stated in words can have an opposite, i.e. everything stated using words can be denied using words, he concludes that words are imperfect and can only improve but never reach perfection in regard to their representation of the Truth.
Mathematics
Gene Ray has stated in the January 2002 MIT Time Cube Debate that the concept that −1 multiplied by −1 equals +1 is stupid and evil, because it is like saying that "A South American times a South American equals a North American." He jokingly added that −1 × −1 should actually equal "A South American".
In order to justify the claim that "−1 multiplied by −1 equals +1 is stupid and evil" supporters of Time Cube are required to argue that 1 + 1 = 2 is stupid and evil. Using the arithmetic as defined by supporters of Time Cube it is in fact possible to go on and show that all numbers are in fact equal to zero, meaning that quantity and mesure have no meaning. That is to say, nothing at all exists. This can be refuted by Descartes' philosophy.
In addition to opposing the Academian mathematical bias towards positive numbers, Ray has also stated that odd numbers, "1-corner"/linear mathematics and trinity/3D mathematics are non-Cubic-compliant. With regard to the 3D cartesian axes, the principal flaw is seen to be their infinite radiation from the origin, which fails to form a finite Cube. There is also the issue of the division of space into 8 sections, each one representing a unique combination of + and − across the 3 dimensions, with there being a bias towards +, according to −1 times −1 equals +1. Ray says :
- There is proof that 3 dimensional math is erroneous, and that linear Time is actually of a Cubic nature. Educated cubeless stupid, you think stupid. Why worship a dumb 1 day god when I demonstrate 4 simultaneous 24 hour days within a single 24 hour rotation of Earth? Linear, singularity and trinity equate to evil math within Nature's Cubic Creation.
Criticism
Many readers find the Time Cube websites incoherent and mostly unintelligible and find it impossible to comprehend what Gene Ray is saying. Some consider him insane. In response, he states on the Time Cube website, "My wisdom so antiquates known knowledge, that a psychiatrist examining my behavior, eccentric by his academic single corner knowledge, knows no course other than to judge me schizophrenic."
On a factual level, critics maintain that it is unclear how Time Cube relates to accepted concepts of time (and geometry, some argue, though others propose counter-arguments—see Criticism of the Time Cube symbolism—), and that it is impossible to disprove it in a meaningful way due to an alleged lack of testable hypotheses. Due to a general attitude among members of Academic and religious institutions that Time Cube is eccentric nonsense or perhaps an elaborate joke, Ray currently poses no threat to academia and the government, entities which he considers evil.
Criticism of the Time Cube symbolism
The Time Cube theory is based on the claimed supremacy of the number four, but some fail to take into account Time Cube's rotation, and then reject it based on there being no strong connection between four and the non-rotating cube. The figure most often used to represent the number four is the square, a planar figure. If a solid is required to represent the number four, the most obvious candidate is the tetrahedron. There is a strong and obvious connection between four and the square, and another obvious connection between the square and the cube. But there is no particularly strong relationship between four and the non-rotating Cube.
Gene Ray responds to this criticism by stating that the Time Cube rotates about an axis that passes through the center of one face and the center of the opposite face. This fact breaks the full symmetry of the cube and allows a basis for dividing its six faces into a group of two, each with a stationary center on the axis; and a group of four, each with a moving center not on the axis. He says that the group of 4 faces is like the 4 walls of a Cube-like room, and that the corners are where the walls intersect. This means that by "corners", he is referring to the vertical edges of the Cube (the edges parallel to the rotational axis). This nonstandard definition often causes confusion, since although a room's corners are normally considered to be the areas where the walls meet, a Cube's corners are generally taken to be its 8 vertices, or its 12 edges (8 of which are designated "horizontal" by the aforementioned rotational property).
Ray uses this model to represent the Earth's rotation. The group of two faces are designated (interchangeably) the "Top" and "Bottom", and their centres are placed at the north and south poles. The centres of the other four faces intersect with the equator. Since the Earth is rotationally dilated, the cube must also be dilated by the same magnitude. This creates a square prism. If the rotational speed of Earth were to approach zero, gravity would cause the dilation to also approach zero (neglecting structural resistances); this would cause the square prism to approach an undilated Cube. This is the rationale for using a cube rather than a square prism.
Creditors of Time Cube doctrine acknowledge that, without the rotational property, the connection between the cube and four is invalid. Some see this as damaging their view, since most agree that the fact that the Earth is rotating is a contingent one. However, Time Cube supporters claim that rotation is an inherent property of significant gravitational bodies, such as stars, planets and galaxies. They claim that all such bodies are formed from rotational vortices, and that they would only cease to rotate due to chance. (The most significant ones, such as galaxies, could not sustain such an event; without the rotation-induced centripetal force, they would collapse.) This hypothesis is supported by the fact that almost all observable significant gravitational bodies (planets, stars, galaxies) have an angular velocity of considerable magnitude.
Does Ray have any followers?
Although Ray is generally viewed—albeit fondly—as a crank, he claims "many thousands" believe that he is really communicating the "Ineffable Cubic Truth of the Universe" and that he is a great thinker and wise. As yet, there is no registered organization with an official membership list of Time Cube followers; however, a following has nonetheless presented itself through less formal avenues, including this online petition demanding representation of the Time Cube doctrine in academic and social institutions.
On timecube.com Ray often makes claims such as "Google has over 2,000,000 links to Time Cube site", offering an URL such as this as proof of his popularity. However, this search is based on a naïve criteria in which any page containing the words "time" or "cube" is included. It also makes the assumption a majority of the pages speak of his theories in a positive manner. A more stringent search shows a significantly smaller figure of 32,800.
See also
External links
- Time Cube: Gene Ray's official presentation
- Cubic Awareness Online A fansite with Cubic explanations.
- Above God, The Greatest Thinker, The Wisest Human: Gene Ray's auxiliary official sites
- Time Cube page on CrankDotNet
- Time Cube MIT lecture/debate synopsis
- Learning Triangle: A parody of Time Cube, from Something Awful
- Waltoncube: Parody featuring NBC basketball announcer Bill Walton
- Another parody describing the rival Game Cube theory
- Time Cube card game
- A letter from Gene Ray explaining Time Cube; Interview with Gene Ray