The three faces of time: physical, biological and psychological

The three faces of time: physical, biological and psychological

By: Sauro Succi, Italian Institute of Technology

Time has always been a fascinating and mysterious subject. Part of this “mystery” is likely due to our tendency to consider time as a single entity, failing to recognize its threefold nature: physical, biological, and psychological. Physical time helps us paint a picture of natural phenomena as objective as possible; biological time dictates the rhythms of our organism; psychological time, on the other hand, accompanies the flow of our thoughts. This book discusses, in an accessible yet never banal way, the relationship between the three faces of time in light of the advances in modern complex systems science, inevitably touching on the powerful arrival of artificial intelligence. The resulting picture is of a time that is perhaps less mysterious, but certainly no less relevant to understanding the world around and within us.

Sauro Succi

Sauro Succi is an Italian physicist and engineer internationally renowned for his contributions to computational statistical physics. He has authored three monographs with Oxford University Press and has received numerous international awards for his scientific work.
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The three faces of time: physical, biological and psychological

Dedalo

Time has always seemed a fascinating and mysterious subject. Part of this “mystery” is perhaps due to our tendency to consider it as a single entity, failing to recognize its threefold nature: physical, biological, and psychological. Physical time helps us paint a picture of natural phenomena as objectively as possible; biological time dictates the rhythms of our organism; psychological time, on the other hand, accompanies the flow of our thoughts.
This book analyzes in an accessible, yet never banal, way the relationship between the three faces of time in light of the advances in modern complex systems science, inevitably touching on the forceful arrival of artificial intelligence. A reflection that helps us better understand the world around us and within us.

11 NOV 2025

h 12:00 | 

Event location:
EXMA Conference room
Via San Lucifero, 71 Cagliari

Access to the Cagliari FestivalScienza activities is free for everyone. Reservations are required only for schools and organized groups.