De worm en de klok. Over de wording van een mondiaal tijdregime

Samenvatting

The Worm and the Clock. On the Genesis of a Global Time Regime. The evolution of universal global timing is examined. Time is not a natural given, but is a means, devised by humans, for comparing processes of various speed and duration. As such, time is a function of timing -- an activity that is inherently place-bound. Four phases in the development of human timing are discussed: (1) absence of instruments to divide the day into clearcut intervals such as hours; (2) presence of various instruments such as sundials to divide the day into 24 hours of unequal length; (3) the mechanical clock makes standardization of the hour possible; and (4) division of the world into 24 time zones with a synchronized schedule of hours, minutes, and seconds. 28 References. Adapted from the source document.