But perhaps it might properly be said that there are three times, the present of things past, the present of things present, and the present of things future. These three are in the soul, but elsewhere I do not see them: the present of things past is in memory; the present of things present is in intuition; the present of things future is in expectation. If we are permitted to say this, then I see three times, and I affirm that there are three times.



Naomi Chana at Baraita quotes the passage from the Confessions of Saint Augustine and writes: There are many cogent critiques of Augustine's overall philosophy of time -- no, I won't go there right now -- but I've found this passage oddly comforting for years.



Confusion of time in the mind of a beloved grandmother, the nature of family relations, literature, theology. Naomi Chana is writing as well as anyone with a weblog. This latest entry is called Present Tense.