The Eternal Quarrel on Time

In this paper we consider the dispute over the nature of time that divided Einstein and Bergson one century ago. In particular, we will focus on the role to assign to consciousness with respect to a physical quantity, time. We shall claim that there is a position that both Einstein and Bergson were not opposed to but rather were compatible with, and this is a form of eternalism. However, when interpreted by Bergson’s perspective on consciousness, such a view comes with a very high price, that of panpsychism.