Free Will on a Clock's Leash:
The Illusion of Choice
The relationship between human and time has always varied depending on who you ask. Ask a 10-year-old boy and he would most likely tell you that time was moving far too slow. Ask a 100-year-old woman and she might just tell you how time had moved far too quick. Ask a philosopher and they would ask you what you consider “time.” Consult a clock and it will mock you by ticking on and on in response. Time is one of the few concrete constants we know to exist. No matter the situation, or how much you plead with the sky begging for time to stop, it will not adhere to your request. Time, ironically, is like a god in the way it determines your fate but limits the free will you already have. Many of Einstein’s Dreams chapters question how much control people can really have over their lives given that the passage of time continues without their control. In all of the dream worlds embedded in the novel, time determines an individual’s free will. Different from the world we inhabit today, the alternate realities of these dream worlds hold different concepts of time.
In Einstein’s Dreams, one story depicts a world where time is a circle, “bending back on itself. The world repeats itself, precisely, endlessly.” In this world, majority of the people do not know their life is a circle; that they are to hear their child’s (alleged) first laugh forever. That they are to live forever. However, there is a select few of people among this world who are vaguely aware that all has already happened before. These select few are the ones who are unhappy with their lives. In the dark of night, they are unable to resist wrestling with their bad choices and regrets that are doomed to be repeated; with no way of stopping it. This repetition of events implies a lack of true choice. If every action and outcome are fated to recur, it begs doubts on the existence of free will. This story challenges the notion of free will by suggesting that our actions have already been scripted and we simply follow along. Disregarding the alternate reality where time is cyclic and events repeat endlessly, this concept is shown relevant to our day to day lives. Statistics show that 80% of Americans view themselves as “creatures of habit” and feel as though they live through a routine. More than half of those polled explain that they feel their lives resemble the 1993 film Groundhog Day. Individuals, both in the life we know and the story, may feel trapped in this predestined cycle, unable to make changes, but what if you were to have no predetermined cycle because you have no memories?
Another reality in the realm of Einstein’s Dreams, is a more complex world where the people of the earth have no memories. “A world without memory is a world of the present. The past exists only in books…In order to know himself, each person carries his own Book of Life, which is filled with the history of his life.” The influence of time in this world quite intense. Without memories, the people are unable to know their experiences, or connect with their own personal history; they are stuck in an eternal present. This Book of Life however serves as a window to who they were. This book allows them to rediscover relationships and exhibit more personal growth. This serves as a memory-time-free will continuum. With no memories, your free will appears endless and without bounds. Yet, this Book of Life has the potential to ruin what you know about yourself while it beckons you to read it. In this dream, time plays a crucial role in shaping their sense of continuity and forming their own identities. This Book of Life becomes a powerful tool in self-discovery but is also a double-edged sword. What if you were horrible? There are people in this dream world that are able to resist the temptation and go on about their lives with no past memory. And there are others who have read in their book that they have committed numerous crimes and now must live on knowing that; mysteriously wondering who their victims were. Alan Lightman, the author of Einstein’s Dreams, states that “Einstein once wrote that the most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. What did Einstein mean by the mysterious?...I think that he meant a sense of awe, a sense that things are larger than us, that we don’t have all the answers at this moment, a sense that we can stand right at the boundary between known and unknown and gaze into that cavern and be exhilarated rather than frightened.” This revelation helps you understand that free will and time are limited in senses other than literal. Lightman is correct when he states that there is no magic book that has all the answers you seek to know, yet in this story, a book that does just that, isn’t a holy grail either. Lightman also discusses the main ‘holy grail’ of physics is the theory of everything. This theory that has yet to be discovered, will inhabit all the fundamental laws of nature. Knowing this theory would consequently reveal the predestine future and what is yet to come. Lightman sincerely hopes this theory never gets discovered simply because “I believe in the creative power of the unknown.” Questions that curate the curiosity surrounding time and its history and how it all began are necessary in the discovery of new things. If all questions are answered and there is no unknown left, then what?
The ambiguity around the unknown extends as far as time. However, if time were a physical entity, maybe that would be different. In Einstein’s Dreams, there is a world where time runs similarly to the regular world, but where you can trap time in a jar. In this world, a certain flock of nightingales is time. “Time flutters and fidgets and hops with these birds. Trap one of these nightingales beneath a bell jar and time stops. The moment is frozen for all people and trees and soil caught within.” One would think that in this world, the flock is practically extinct. Still, these birds are rarely caught. For those who are quick enough to climb up to the high trees to grab one, are children. And children far too commonly believe that time moves too slow, so why would they want to freeze it? The elders who want nothing more than for time to stop, are far too old to be climbing trees so high and are simply not quick enough. On the rare occasion when caught, the catcher is ecstatic now that they have a moment frozen in time, however they soon discover that the bird captured, will die for your frozen moment. The nightingale in this story represents time itself while the act and yearning of capturing one symbolizes the desire to manipulate time. With the act of capturing the nightingales, people are seeking to slow down time or at least have some control over its durations. This extends to the reality you live in now. This urge to control time and have eternal youth mirrors the feeling often felt of being constrained by the limitations of time in everyday life. When you have so much schoolwork left to do this month and feel the weight of only having 24 hours in a day begin to crush your shoulders. This molds into how our perception of time can influence our sense of free will. This dream implies that our sense of free will may be influenced by how we see time. Feeling pressed for time or hurried interferes with our ability to make choices. The pressure to act quickly or to stick to timetables and deadlines is one known all too well. Therefore, the concept of capturing nightingales to slow down time symbolizes a desire to be free from time limitations and have greater control over our choices. It tackles the conflict that comes from the need for control while being restrained by the restrictions placed by time.
In Einstein’s Dreams, the stories prompt reflections on the complex relationship between time and free will. Consequently, posing philosophical questions regarding the nature of choice and the extent to which time effects these choices. How much free will do you really have when the passage of time is out of your control? The free will of smoking a cigarette is limited when you want your lungs to reach their maximized life expectancy. The free will of dating freely as you please are limited when your age is creeping up on the 50 mark and you are deemed “too old” to have children. The time limitations, in this reality, imposed on free will are unchanging. What can change, however, is your perception of free will and time. Maximizing the time you feel you have is crucial to find balance. The limits of time will never change but making conscious choices that allocates your time towards activities you value, will give you a sense of control over your decisions.