time's arrow

Paul C Duggan · 04 Sep 1998, 09:05 · from urth-v0018.mbox · original

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From: Paul C Duggan <pduggan at world.std.com>
Subject: (urth) time's arrow
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 09:05:46
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I heard Martin Amis interviewed when his book came out. He made the
interesting point that morality can be defined by whether or not an action
is different when run in reverse or not. Two billiard balls hitting looks
the same no matter which way you run time. Poisoning a man looks very
different the other way around.

Apparently some people accused Amis of trivializing or glorifying the
holocaust by using such moral terms for it's opposite.

"I am an impure thinker. I am hurt, swayed, shaken, |  paul           + | +
elated, disillusioned, shocked, comforted, and I    |                 --|--
have to transmit my mental experiences lest I die." |                 + | +
                     --  Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy    |  pduggan at world.std.com

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