The weather. It seems to pass at lightning speed, slipping through our fingers. We would like to be able to catch up with it a little and perhaps see that it is ultimately quite relative. In the meantime, we really do not waste our time in front of this documentary which explains how humanity has started to “tame” time by measuring it more and more precisely and by standardizing it, first in small increments. scale, then for the entire planet, or almost.
In fact, this French production, which judiciously combines period reconstructions and explanations from scientists from various backgrounds who are interested in various dimensions of the measurement of time, constitutes an excellent introduction to the history of the evolution of techniques. which made it possible to master and standardize the measurement of time, from the gnomon, this very simple large stick used by the ancient Greeks, to the most sophisticated atomic clock.
Alternating between an amusing anecdote and an educational demonstration, accessible even to dummies in science, this historical portrait of our search for a better measure of the time that passes, regardless of the place and the climatic conditions, highlights the technological upheavals that this allowed, while demonstrating how it forced humans to submit to the dictatorship of clocks and change their habits.
In conclusion, we are reminded that Einstein’s theories cast doubt on this certainty that time always flies at the same speed. After all, this is a human creation, which it is good to sometimes forget a little …
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