Robert Lanza is the
Chief Scientific Officer at the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine
and Adjunct Professor at Wake Forest University. In this article, he attempts
to convince the reader that time does not exist. Although we as humans are led to
believe for so long that it does, Lanza uses scientific experiments and efforts
to dissuade readers otherwise. In the article, he uses facts and allusions to
relate to the reader and to convince them to see his point of view.
In the article,
instead of diving head first into such a difficult topic, Lanza first attempts
to relate to readers. He does this by referring to everyday life, "For
example, find yourself short of either time or space, or both—late for work,
standing in a stalled subway car packed with riders". This is a typical
situation that most people can relate to. By incorporating this, Lanza
successfully hooks in the reader by making the topic of time and space relevant
to their everyday life. In addition to alluding to the reader, Lanza also uses
ethos in facts that he provides throughout the article that help support his
point. For example, he writes, "The results of quantum physics, such as
the two-slit experiment, tell us that not a single one of its subatomic
particles actually has any physical properties until we observe it". By
incorporating proven chemistry knowledge in the article, the author
successfully validates his logic to readers. It is very important to have
rational science in such an article to prove to readers the nonexistance of
time.
Thus, the reader is
left to ponder the validity of Lanza's words. It is difficult for them to
blindly believe him at first, but readers will slowly take in his words and
then will they choose to validate them or cast them aside.
