- Geneva, Switzerland
Whether every effect can be precisely linked to a given cause or to a list of causes has been a matter of debate for centuries, particularly during the 17th century, when astronomers became capable of predicting the trajectories of... more
Whether every effect can be precisely linked to a given cause or to a list of causes has been a matter of debate for centuries, particularly during the 17th century, when astronomers became capable of predicting the trajectories of planets. Recent mathematical models applied to physics have included the idea that given phenomena cannot be predicted precisely, although they can be predicted to some extent, in line with the chaos theory. Concepts such as deterministic models, sensitivity to initial conditions, strange attractors, and fractal dimensions are inherent to the development of this theory A few situations involving normal or abnormal endogenous rhythms in biology have been analyzed following the principles of chaos theory. This is particularly the case with cardiac arrhythmias, but less so with biological clocks and circadian rhythms.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
interview of painter Jacques Lacomblez
Research Interests:
We are unable, using our five senses, to feel time, nor, using our intelligence, to define it, because we stand inexorably within time. We achieve a representation of time through evaluation of changes in ourselves and in our environment.... more
We are unable, using our five senses, to feel time, nor, using our intelligence, to define it, because we stand inexorably within time. We achieve a representation of time through evaluation of changes in ourselves and in our environment. This is made possible by memory functions. What if time only existed as a construct in our minds, and what if the absence of this construct made our mode of thinking uncomfortable to us? If our two major tools for constructing our world, feeling and reasoning, are of little help, then the study of time, ie, chronology, might exist as a list of scientific hypotheses, and remain, to some extent, a philosophical question--an enigma that has been approached by thinkers for more than two millenia. In this review, various fields of knowledge are discussed in relation to time, from philosophy and physics to psychology and biology. We discuss the differences between Chronos and Tempus, respectively the time of physicists and that of psychologists.
Research Interests:
Whether every effect can be precisely linked to a given cause or to a list of causes has been a matter of debate for centuries, particularly during the 17th century, when astronomers became capable of predicting the trajectories of... more
Whether every effect can be precisely linked to a given cause or to a list of causes has been a matter of debate for centuries, particularly during the 17th century, when astronomers became capable of predicting the trajectories of planets. Recent mathematical models applied to physics have included the idea that given phenomena cannot be predicted precisely, although they can be predicted to some extent, in line with the chaos theory. Concepts such as deterministic models, sensitivity to initial conditions, strange attractors, and fractal dimensions are inherent to the development of this theory A few situations involving normal or abnormal endogenous rhythms in biology have been analyzed following the principles of chaos theory. This is particularly the case with cardiac arrhythmias, but less so with biological clocks and circadian rhythms.