"What is time then?" asked St. Augustine some 1,600 years ago. It
was a question he could not answer, and over the centuries that
followed, it was one that few scholars dared to address. Yet there
are answers to this question of the true nature of time, and this
book discusses several of them as a means of approaching its
central concern: that humanity creates a variety of times and these
different times affect the experiences of life--as times vary, so
does life. Not so much focusing on watches, clocks, and calendars
(though these are covered), the author argues that time is a
fundamental component of the technological development of humanity.
The book addresses the relationships between time and life on three
fundamental premises: (1) all times are not the same, (2) all times
are social constructions, and (3) the times humanity creates direct
the way humanity lives. The book addresses the major ways in which
times differ (polychronicity, speed and punctuality, and
orientation to past, present and future), how these differences are
coordinated (entrainment), and how these differences affect human
life, including such extreme effects that produce the best and
worst of times. Building on these differences and the effects they
produce, the author examines the possibility of humanity
consciously creating more good times than bad. Throughout the
analysis, a vital connection between time and life gradually
emerges, namely, the impact of time on the meaning of life itself.
Materials from several disciplines inform the discussions, notably
theory and research from the social and behavioral sciences, in
particular the organization sciences. The author uses historical
examples extensively throughout the book, but also presents new
results that derive from original data he has collected.
The book will be valuable not only to those involved in the
management and organization sciences, but also to sociologists and
psychologists, who have largely avoided coming to terms with one of
the central issues of human life--time.
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