chronoception

The chapter explores the concept of time as an actively generated phenomenon through the operations of chronoception, rooted in Kantian epistemology and extended through biological and neural evolution. It argues that time has a history linked to the phylogenesis of neural structures, particularly the spine, and that living systems generate time internally as a response to environmental perturbations, with the sun acting as a fundamental abiogenetic stressor and circadian time-giver. The development of nervous systems increases the complexity and scope of chronoception, making time an intrinsic property of life and cognition.