The Power of the Dreaming. A Study on the Role of Time in Physics

This paper presents a philosophical thought experiment concerning the physical definition of power, P = W/t. Rather than treating time as a homogeneous and purely metric interval, it asks how the concept of power changes when examined through a relational temporality inspired by selected accounts of Australian Aboriginal Dreaming traditions. The exercise does not replace physical power within its proper domain. Instead, it reveals that changing the temporal ontology also requires reconsidering what counts as work, action, and transformation. The paper proposes an evaluative relation—enduring transformation per action—in which both action and impact are defined contextually within each field. This framework allows domain-specific qualitative and quantitative indicators without requiring a universal unit or direct comparison between heterogeneous activities. Applications in education, medicine, ecology, technology, and cultural practice illustrate how the framework may redirect attention from immediate output toward the persistence, depth, and relational consequences of action. The proposal is exploratory and uses the Dreaming as a lever for conceptual displacement rather than as a comprehensive account of Indigenous Australian ontologies.