Time Perception as a Cognitive Triangulation Bias for Maintaining Organized Bodies of Knowledge

Abstract

We propose that time perception emerges from the need to maintain organized bodies of knowledge (physical or informational) by modeling collisions. Key claims:

Physical time: A thermodynamic metric of free-energy gradients (e.g., entropy).
Perceived time: A cognitive illusion arising from:
- Anti-collision mechanics: Avoiding threats to organizational integrity (e.g., data corruption, physical damage).
- Pro-collision ("flipper") mechanics: Pursuing opportunities to expand knowledge (e.g., energy capture, memory storage). Conscious systems perceive time only when optimizing knowledge maintenance—preserving structure against entropic decay.

1. Introduction: Knowledge Maintenance Defines Time Perception

1.1 Thermodynamic Time vs. Cognitive Time

Physical time: Measures free-energy gradients (e.g., diffusion rates). No perception required.
Cognitive time: Exists only for systems with knowledge integrity goals, i.e., maintaining:
- Physical bodies (cells, robots): Avoid collisions that disrupt hardware/organization.
- Informational bodies (AI memory, brains): Avoid logical contradictions ("collisions" in data).

1.2 Triangulation as the Mechanism

Anti-collision: Simulate future states to evade threats (e.g., predator avoidance, memory corruption).
Pro-collision: Model intersections to acquire resources (e.g., prey capture, data ingestion).
Output: Iterative prediction/action cycles create time perception as a side effect of knowledge preservation.