Seder Cognitivo And The Universe Of Instants: Why The Asymmetry Of Memory Is Not A Physical Problem But A Problem Of The Mind

Abstract

This preprint introduces the concept of Cognitive Seder (from Hebrew seder, meaning order) as an active principle of the mind that scans and organizes static instants (Nows) into meaningful temporal sequences. Building on Julian Barbour's timeless universe of configurations, the paper argues that the asymmetry of memory — we remember the past but not the future — is not a physical problem but a cognitive one. The mind, acting as a scanner, reduces Sederic entropy (informational disorder) by imposing a coherent narrative order on otherwise ambiguous configurations. A concrete example with four tree states illustrates how the same set of Nows can be ordered differently, and only the ordering that produces sense (B → C → A → D) constitutes genuine temporal experience. The model offers an original critique of physicalism, situates itself within objective idealist theism, and provides a philosophical foundation that addresses the weaknesses often attributed to Barbour's metaphysics. This work is part of a broader research program exploring consciousness, time, and the active role of the mind in constituting reality.