The Rings of Time and Introspection

As previously discussed, one advantage of the Conic model of Time over the Linear is that it accommodates both Successiveness and Simultaneity. However, insofar as it represents the Present as its apex, as is usually the case, it inverts the cumulative character of Experience. Hence, an alternative model is the Tree, which, as a concrete embodiment of its own temporality, i. e. the progressive formation of its rings, is more than a mere abstract image of Time. For, the relation between inner and outer rings expresses, not merely represents, its temporal development. On this model, Innerness is dynamic and intensive, not static and extensive, as is e. g. the 'innerness' of the stomach with respect to the upper torso. Hence, 'Introspection' more accurately characterizes the examination of one's past than does 'Retrospection'. Introspection entails the explicit consideration of the relation between past and present, as opposed to remembering, which entertains the past while losing sight of the present, and to what is commonly referred to as 'introspection', namely the superficial review of current circumstances.