The Meaning of Time

Humanity has dedicated itself over thousands of years to trying to find out what 'time' means and how far back it goes. But why does this matter?

In this talk, come and meet the strange and fascinating range of scholars and misfits who have tried to master time: from the French aristocrat using nubile young girls in his experiments, to the bishop who spent his life pursuing religious scripts in the belief he could definitively work out the age of the earth by who begat who. Charles Darwin is famous for his theory of natural selection, but it was seriously undermined by the fact that there was not enough time for it to operate. It was over 50 years before science could give Darwin the time he needed and the final weakness in Darwin's theory could be overcome.

In this wide ranging, thought provoking, and entertaining talk, David demonstrates why our understanding of time, and the true age of the Earth, is vital, not just for practical and scientific purposes, but also culturally. After this talk, you will not view the world in the same way again.

David has spent over 20 years travelling the world studying how time has shaped our planet and affected our understanding, including a recent voyage into the Pacific examining sea floor materials deposited over millions of years. He is a geologist who has taught environmental science at university level for many years. He combines this with a passion for communication, and a realisation that he never seems to have enough time to do everything he would like.