Daniel Jencka
Daniel Jencka | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956 (age 69–70) Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Residence | Albuquerque, NM, United States |
| Known for | Philosophy of Science, Consciousness |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Philosophy of Science, Consciousness |
Daniel Jencka (born 1956) is an American composer and independent philosopher based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Describing himself as a "philosopher-at-large," he is known for his work in the Philosophy of Science and on the nature of time and Consciousness, and in particular for his reappraisal of Aristotle's account of time as "the number of motion."
Biography
Jencka was born in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan. He began composing as a teenager and studied musical composition with the American composer Stanley Hollingsworth, who taught at Oakland University in Michigan. Jencka pursued undergraduate study of philosophy and music at Oakland University.
Alongside his musical activity he has worked in the renewable-energy industry in New Mexico, and he remains active as a composer and philosophical writer and presenter in the Albuquerque area.
Work
Jencka's philosophical work centers on the problem of time. He revisits Aristotle's classical thesis, set out in the Physics, that time is not a thing in itself but rather "the number of motion" with respect to before and after. Jencka argues that this roughly 2,300-year-old account retains its explanatory power and carries consequences that challenge assumptions held both in everyday thinking and in modern science.
He has presented this material publicly, including a talk titled "The Unicorn of Time and the Number of Motion," delivered in 2026 in Albuquerque as part of a series of "Many Worlds" presentations organized by The Larger Universe project. His broader interests extend to the philosophy of science and to questions concerning consciousness.
As a composer, Jencka has written chamber, keyboard, vocal, and choral works, including pieces for flute and violin with harpsichord, harpsichord and piano rags and waltzes, and choral settings.
External links
- "The Larger Universe presents Many Worlds Presentations" (FUSION, Albuquerque) — announcement of Jencka's talk "The Unicorn of Time and the Number of Motion"
- Daniel Jencka on Score Exchange — catalog of his musical compositions