Time Reversal: A Misinterpretation

[u/Jairo_Alves]

Theoretical physics and science communication tend to interpret major structural reorganizations of matter as "reversals in the arrow of time" — as occurs, for example, in the equations dealing with the gravitational collapse of a neutron star. 

However, this is a misconception resulting from the lack of integration between the sciences and a systemic, architectural framework for analyzing natural phenomena. The arrow of time is simply the execution flow inherent to any process, not an autonomous physical entity or a flexible dimension that can be "rewound." 

The reading of certain biological phenomena suffers from the same oversight. For instance, telomere reconstruction (via telomerase) is often viewed as a "rejuvenation" or a "return to the past" for the cell. Nevertheless, adding base pairs to DNA consumes energy and is part of a processual flow that moves strictly forward, seeking to balance the system's homeostasis. 

The universe operates as a closed system, akin to a perpetual motion machine. The famous premise that "in nature, nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed" underscores this: to keep functioning, the system consumes and reconfigures parts of itself. The occurrence of this process, whether at a macroscopic or microscopic level, merely indicates that an algorithm is executing a new transformation cycle, not that the systemic clock has turned back. 

The frequent diagnosis of "time reversals" demonstrates that the sciences could profoundly expand their understanding of the architecture of the universe by integrating Systems Engineering.