PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE «ARROW OF TIME»  IN THE PHYSICAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD

Aleksey Ivanov; Anastasia Zabolotnaya

doi:10.61260/2074-1618-2026-2-72-83

UDC

115.4

PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE «ARROW OF TIME» IN THE PHYSICAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD

Published in Psychological and pedagogical problems of human and social security · Pages 72–83 · Rubric: PHILOSOPHY. CULTURAL STUDIES. PHILOLOGY

DOI: https://doi.org/10.61260/2074-1618-2026-2-72-83

Received: 27.03.2026 Accepted: 30.03.2026 Published: 09.07.2026

Authors

Aleksey Ivanov

SPIN

Anastasia Zabolotnaya

SPIN

Aleksey Ivanov

Academic degree: candidate of technical sciences

Science rang: docent

Saint-Petersburg university of the State fire service of EMERCOM of Russia associate professor · department of fire safety of technological processes and productions · Russian Federation · Saint-Petersburg

SPIN

Anastasia Zabolotnaya

Saint-Petersburg university of State fire service of EMERCOM of Russia dean · Russian Federation

SPIN

ABSTRACT

The article is devoted to the analysis of philosophical ideas about the concept of the «arrow of time» in the context of the modern physical picture of the world. The main purpose of the work is to conduct a comprehensive study of this phenomenon as a fundamental irreversibility and direction of time in the universe, manifested in everyday and catastrophic phenomena. The problem is considered not only in a natural scientific way, but also as an epistemological paradox that fixes the gap between objective reality and the limits of human cognition. The peculiarity of the research lies in the boundary area of the object of scientific research, which extends to the fields of philosophy, physics, and affects both the biological and cognitive mechanisms of human perception of time. It is the application of an interdisciplinary approach that allows us to rethink the nature of time. The article traces the evolution of philosophical and scientific conceptions of the «arrow of time» through an appeal to cosmological models and interpretations of quantum mechanics developed by representatives of both domestic and foreign scientific thought of the XX–XXI centuries. Starting with the historical contribution of A. Eddington, following the philosophical research of I. Prigozhin, S. Hawking and R. Penrose, the work consistently examines the evolution of understanding the phenomenon of time. A conceptual difference is shown: if physics proceeds from the thermodynamic and probabilistic explanations of irreversibility, then philosophy explores this phenomenon as a fundamental property of reality, given in direct perception. The key aspect of the article is the consideration of the phenomenon of the «arrow of time» from the perspective of a geometric approach developed within the framework of the Kaluza-Klein theory. This approach is proposed as one of the possible mechanisms of cognition of time, linking the logic of physical perception with the level of human understanding. The article focuses on alternative cosmological models, in particular the Gorkavy-Vasilkov hypothesis about the accelerated expansion of the Universe. The authors propose a model of geometric transformation space-time falling into a large black hole, explaining the accelerated expansion of the universe and setting the direction of the «arrow of time» through the growth of entropy. In conclusion, the thesis is expressed that the philosophical understanding of the «arrow of time» allows us to reduce it to a single geometric factor that determines the temporal asymmetry. This conclusion opens up new perspectives for studying the fundamental laws of the universe at the intersection of cosmology, quantum physics and philosophy of science, thereby deepening understanding of the place of time in the physical picture of the world.

KEYWORDS

time, Universe, entropy, «spacetime» geometry, irreversibility, compactification, Kaluza-Klein theory, asymmetry, large black hole

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GOST

Ivanov A. V., Zabolotnaya A. S. PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE «ARROW OF TIME» IN THE PHYSICAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD // . 2026. pp. 72-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61260/2074-1618-2026-2-72-83. (Date of access 19.08.2026).

MLA

Aleksey Ivanov, Zabolotnaya A. S.. "PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE «ARROW OF TIME» IN THE PHYSICAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD." (2026): 72-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61260/2074-1618-2026-2-72-83.

APA

Ivanov A. V., Zabolotnaya A. S. (2026). PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE «ARROW OF TIME» IN THE PHYSICAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD. , 72-83. https://doi.org/10.61260/2074-1618-2026-2-72-83

Chicago

Aleksey Ivanov, Zabolotnaya A. S.. "PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE «ARROW OF TIME» IN THE PHYSICAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD." , no. (2026): 72-83. https://doi.org/10.61260/2074-1618-2026-2-72-83.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Ivanov A. V., Zabolotnaya A. S. | title = PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE «ARROW OF TIME» IN THE PHYSICAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD | journal = | year = 2026 | pages = 72-83 | doi = 10.61260/2074-1618-2026-2-72-83 }}

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