Temporal relativism and the objective present

Abstract An exploration of the possibility of a temporal location for objective reality is undertaken with reference to neurophysiological research demonstrating that consciousness is a function of time-dependent physical processes and that perception of the environment is delayed by at least 80 milliseconds (Eagleman 2010). As empirical research has established that a measurable amount of time precedes conscious awareness, this preconscious time frame satisfies the definition of objective reality as “independent of any perceiver’s consciousness” (Rand, Ayn. 1989. The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought: With Additional Essays by Leonard Peikoff and Peter Schwartz. New York: New American Library, 18). This article uses the term “objective present” to identify the temporal source of information that is subsequently interpreted by organic sensory systems: the milliseconds before conscious awareness.