Elusive time

Time concept us likely a holdover and permeation of broad inclusive categories of which many were present in the 19th century.

Time was broadly assigned to many processes then. It was becoming a convenient medium, tho intangible, to resort to and the concept was easily exploitable especially as the needs of science explanations became more detailed and general responses to  physical situations were not adequate. It can be said that two centuries ago, scientists approach to working with operatives was different than current.

Time is not counted as one of the four fundamental forces. Nor is time listed in Sir Martin Rees, "Just Six Numbers".  Nor in this world is time treated sustainedly in some cultural or religious treatises [toward  viewing reality: "assumption that time has no reality, that it is merely a name, an idea (samjna matratvena kalasyabhyupagamat). And what is not real, but only nominal or notional cannot qualify a thing (na hi samjnamatram vastuvisesanatvena yuktam)" -Chitrarekha V. Kher.]Thusly, time is not uniformly regarded world-wide as essential.

The pertinent point is, we are accustomed now to measure something by something. We won't do well guessing by non-traceable features, like time.

So if one wants to measure the unknown multiverse by some gauge of distance, for example, the only plausibly physical measurement toward that will have to be points. The measure also of whether something is static or oscillating would come from points of the object or field. Points, in measuring, should be the fiduciary element in the universe.

Measuring the distance of far features, stars, etc., is not first done with time. Points or particles are what are first looked for e.g. redshift and others, and those figures are appropriately made into coordinate points and then calculated in terms of time.

One physical example, when a candle flame expands to another material even though it is not in contact, one can see it is not time that has the flame expand rather it is the transfer of points to the other material, i.e. the molecues available allow the transfer and is the tract that the flame travels. Likewise, a star's end is not dictated by time, it responds to the fact that the elements that feed the star have changed and the star's energy no longer is supported. There is no "time is up" ordering the star and other order of materials, they are dependent upon combinations of elements. This occurence of combinations is often referred to as 'life'. 

Science methodology will approach this based on two factors: Material and Quantum. With the material "medium", that will address the practical usefulness of applying intangible or immeasurable time to processes and events. We may call these events because we can ascertain them by our contacts and thus devise calculations to trace them. We say something has evolved or changed since we can distinguish physical change. But a before and after are not influenced or due to any presence of "time" which is still not identified. Is time an intangible or invisible medium when all other elements are traceable? Can time moments be physically sorted, distinguished and isolated?

In the quantum realm studies, the presence of time could be compromised by the minuteness of that realm. The scale is different than macrolevels. The minuteness of some readings may not allow any distinct direction of the arrow of time to be perceived. So the time concept at this scale is hard to posit and sustain. The minuteness simply does not allow any development of  the arrow of time to show distinctly. 

Let's look closely at how we perceive how things process. Today's science now says everything occurs in a material or fluidlike plasma medium. This is believed now to be throughout the known Universe. It is everywhere and activity can be traced in that medium. Now so miniscule material can be said to be everywhere with the undeniable pervasion of neutrinos (which were not established over 100 years ago).

They are traceable. They may also be massless but nevertheless material.

On this physical background, the events of the Universe are better seen and are traceable. Material, then, is everywhere in the Universe whereupon transactions can be more readily traced rather than be approximated or assumed.

The apparent lack of discrete gauge in the way light (singular) is used is inconclusive.

Being from the 19th century, it is from the tendency to excogitate.