Fractal Time, Observer Perspectives and Levels of Description in Nature

This paper reviews various approaches to modelling reality by differentiating notions of time which underly those models. Basic notions of time presupposed in physical theories are briefly described and analyzed in terms of the levels of description taken into account, the interfacial cut assumed between the observer and the rest of the world, the resulting observer perspectives and the extent to which these notions are based on temporal natural constraints. Notions of time in physical theories are secondary constructs, derived from our primary experiences of time. Therefore, we must regard our theories as anthropocentric – derived from abstractions and metaphors resulting from our embodied cognition. Theories based on the notion of fractal time and fractal space-time are generalizations or alternative descriptions which allow for a more differentiated modelling of reality. The resulting temporal observer perspectives allow for further differentiation. The notion of fractal time logically precedes those of fractal space-time, as it is based on the primary experiences of time: succession, simultaneity, duration and an extended Now. Against this background, the internal differentiation of the observer and his degree of both conscious and unconscious contextualization turn out to be vital ingredients in our reality generation game. I am fully aware of the fact that the selection of concepts presented here is neither complete nor unbiased and is coloured by my own temporal observer perspective. c © Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics. All rights reserved.