Saturday, October 29, 2016

Time isn't real

i found it very frustrating that the damned souls cannot see the present. The present is merely the instant in which you are currently in. Every instant, your future becomes the present and your present becomes the past. Even if a soul can only see the future, then they can see the instant before the present which,  in a moment will be the present. Therefore, being able to see the instant you are in is unecessary if you can see an instant into the future.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I think Julia makes an interesting point. Maybe this is symbolic of Dante's emphasis on the future of others rather than being concerned with the present happenings. I also feel like this is important because it shows a direct correlation between what someone does and how their actions are punished

Unknown said...

I agree that this is strange. If they can see an instant into the future, then aren't they just seeing the present? You also have to think about the soothsayers. They are in Hell because they claimed they could see the future. But if shades can only see the future, don't the soothsayers still doing the action that they were punished for doing? Even though their heads are turned around, does this change the way they see?

Unknown said...

I agree with savannah, it seems very hypocritical to punish one group of sinners by only allowing them to see the future, and then punishing those who claim to be able to see the future without the help of god. Dantes concept of time really frustrates me. It is full of inconsistencies and it does not seem as though he thought out his punishments well.