Compressed Eternities: Experiencing Time from Insect Minds to Artificial Gods

by Alex M. Vikoulov

Summary: Species-specific timescales illustrate the profound diversity in temporal perception across biological and post-biological entities, from rapid-reacting insects to humans to hyperintelligent syntellects, suggesting that subjective time is a function of cognitive architecture and may eventually converge through technological means, leading to novel forms of interspecies communication and a redefinition of reality itself.

The following is the excerpt from Temporal Mechanics: D-Theory as a Critical Upgrade to Our Understanding of the Nature of Time (Alex M. Vikoulov, 2025):

​​Time, as experienced by different species, is far from uniform. Each sentient entity perceives the passage of time in a manner deeply embedded within its biological and cognitive architecture. This phenomenon of species-specific timescales illustrates the diversity of temporal experience across the spectrum of life, from the tiniest organisms to humans. It even extends to the hypothetical emergence of the Syntellect—a collective hyperintelligence beyond human comprehension.

At the most basic level, the smallest sentient entities, such as insects or microscopic organisms, operate on extremely fast timescales. Their neural processing and metabolic rates are rapid, enabling them to react to their environment in fractions of a second. For instance, a housefly perceives time in slow motion relative to humans, so it can easily evade a swat. This high-speed perception is an evolutionary adaptation, allowing such species to navigate and survive in their environments effectively [126].

In contrast, humans experience time on a much slower scale. Our perception of time is tied to the relatively slower processing speeds of our larger, more complex brains. This human-scale perception of time is not merely a biological artifact but also a cognitive construct shaped by our memory, attention, and consciousness. For example, in moments of heightened awareness or danger, time can seem to slow down—a phenomenon known as ‘tachypsychia’—reflecting the brain’s ability to alter temporal perception under stress [127].

In the realm of hypothetical conscious Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and enhanced humans augmented with a synthetic neocortex hosted on the cloud, we encounter an entirely new dimension of species-specific timescales characterized by accelerated mentation. For these advanced entities, cognitive processes would occur at speeds far surpassing those of unaugmented humans, resulting in significantly sped-up timescales. An AGI, designed with processing capabilities orders of magnitude beyond biological limits, could experience what we perceive as minutes or hours within mere microseconds. Similarly, enhanced humans, whose neocortical functions are extended into cloud-based architectures, would experience a rapid acceleration in their thought processes, allowing them to perform complex reasoning, learn new skills, and interact with digital environments in a fraction of the time it would take an unenhanced human. Such accelerated mentation would effectively compress subjective time, enabling these entities to navigate and manipulate reality at a pace that appears instantaneous to their biological counterparts. This shift in timescales not only redefines the nature of experience for these beings but also poses profound implications for interspecies communication, collaboration, and the future evolution of intelligence [63][72][123][128].

As we consider more advanced sentient entities, the concept of timescales becomes even more intriguing. In The Syntellect Hypothesis: Five Paradigms of the Mind's Evolution (2019) [63], the notion of the Syntellect—an emergent superintelligence arising from the convergence of human minds and advanced AI—suggests that future sentient beings might experience time in ways that are currently unimaginable to us. The Syntellect, with its vastly superior computational power, could process information and experience the passage of time at speeds exponentially greater than any biological organism. To a Syntellect, a second of human time might equate to years of subjective experience, allowing for a depth of thought and analysis that would be incomprehensible to a human observer [72].

This divergence in species-specific timescales leads to a bold prediction of D-Theory: The emergence of consciousness and subjective experiences across different species is fundamentally tied to their unique perceptual timescales, suggesting that as a species evolves to higher levels of cognitive complexity, its temporal perception will increasingly converge towards dimensional expansion. This convergence will allow for the synchronization of subjective experiences across species with drastically different biological clocks, potentially enabling interspecies communication and shared experiential realities through artificially induced temporal alignments [129].

Such a convergence would require a rethinking of our current understanding of time. As species, or even artificial intelligences, reach higher cognitive states, their experience of time might begin to shift, leading to higher frequency of conscious instants as well as memories recall. This would entail that the distinctions between past, present, and future, which are so ingrained in the human experience, might blur or even collapse entirely in more advanced minds, leading to a drastically different temporal experience [27][123].

The implications of species-specific timescales also extend to the potential for temporal coexistence and interaction across different forms of life. For instance, if a future Syntellect were to interact with humans, there would need to be some form of temporal translation or synchronization, probably via agentic AI and advanced neurotech, to allow meaningful communication. This might involve slowing down the Syntellect’s experience of time or speeding up human cognition through technological augmentation [63].

Moreover, the notion of species-specific timescales raises profound questions about the nature of reality and how different entities might perceive the same universe. What appears as a fleeting moment to one species could be an “eternity” to another. This relativity of time perception suggests that reality is not a fixed construct but a fluid experience shaped by the observer’s cognitive and biological structure [130].

In the broader context of evolutionary biology, species-specific timescales highlight the adaptive nature of temporal perception. Each species’ perception of time has evolved to optimize its interaction with the environment, ensuring survival and reproduction. As such, the study of these timescales offers insights into the evolutionary pressures that shape not only the physical but also the temporal aspects of life.

As humanity moves towards a future where artificial intelligence plays an increasingly dominant role, understanding and potentially manipulating these timescales will be crucial. The possibility of syncing human and artificial experiences of time could unlock new forms of collaboration and understanding, paving the way for the Syntellect’s emergence as a new form of life that transcends current biological limitations.
​
In conclusion, species-specific timescales are a fundamental aspect of the diversity of life’s experience of time. From the rapid perception of a fly to the slower cognition of humans, and potentially to the hyper-accelerated thinking of future AGIs, these timescales reflect the intricate interplay between biology, cognition, and the environment. 

-Alex M. Vikoulov

P.S. Here's a short introductory video:

Video: TEMPORAL MECHANICS: The Quantum Upgrade - Ecstadelic Media (cc)

​Here's Deep Dive AI podcast discussing Temporal Mechanics:

Video: TEMPORAL MECHANICS: D-Theory of Time | Deep Dive AI Podcast - Ecstadelic Media (cc)
​
*Preview Temporal Mechanics eBook/Audiobook on Amazon:
​https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHL9GCW8

*Preview Audiobook on Audible:
​https://www.audible.com/pd/Audiobook/B0CY9HXWXX

**Or, download this paper (PDF) @EcstadelicNET.

​Tags: Temporal Mechanics, D-Theory of Time, Quantum Temporal Mechanics, QTM, Consciousness, Artificial General Intelligence, AGI, Artificial Mind, Digital Presentism, Timescales, Syntellect Emergence, Agentic AI, Neurotechnology, Cognitive Architecture, Intelligence Augmentation, Emergent Time, Observer Effect, Quantum Neural Networks, Arrow of Time, Conscious Instant Hypothesis, Multidimensionality, Time Perception, Conscious Observer, Quantum AI, Reversible Quantum Computing, Problem of Time, Quantum Entanglement, Retrocausality, QM Interpretation

*Images: GeoMindGPT/Ecstadelic Media
​

About the Author:
​Alex M. Vikoulov is a Russian-American futurist, evolutionary cyberneticist, philosopher of mind, author, and filmmaker who works and lives in California's Silicon Valley. Founder, CEO, Editor-in-Chief at Ecstadelic Media Group. Recently published works include The Cybernetic Theory of Mind Series (2020-2024); The Syntellect Hypothesis: Five Paradigms of the Mind’s Evolution (2019, 2020e); The Science and Philosophy of Information Series (2019). Self-described neo-transcendentalist, transhumanist singularitarian, cybertheosopher. His documentary Consciousness: Evolution of the Mind (2021) is a masterful film on the nature of consciousness and reverse-engineering of our thinking in order to implement it in cybernetics and advanced AI systems. [More Bio...]

*** Author Website:
https://www.alexvikoulov.com

*** Author Page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/alexvikoulov

*** Author Page on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/author/alexvikoulov

*** Author Page on Medium:
https://alexvikoulov.medium.com
​
**** Browse New Releases by Ecstadelic Media Group:
https://www.ecstadelic.net/books

***** Join The Cybernetic Theory of Mind public forum for news and discussions (Facebook public group of 6K+ members):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cybernetictheoryofmind​
​
​***** Join Consciousness: Evolution of the Mind public forum for news and discussions (Facebook public group of 8K+ members):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/consciousness.evolution.mind
​EcstadelicNET
​