kontinensen

Kontinensen is a term used in philosophy and cognitive science to denote the perceived or conceptual continuity of entities, events, or experiences across time. It describes the degree to which successive states are integrated into a coherent whole, producing the sense that something persists even as its features change.

The etymology of kontinensen appears informal and varies across languages; the term has gained use in theoretical discussions since the 2010s as a way to discuss continuity without assuming metaphysical claims about persistence. It is often contrasted with discrete or segmented models of change.

In philosophy, kontinensen relates to debates about persistence versus perdurance and personal identity, asking how an object or a mind can be said to remain the same across temporally separated moments.

In cognitive science and perceptual psychology, kontinensen refers to the processes by which observers infer continuity in the presence of gaps, occlusion, or rapid transitions. Experiments show that attention, expectation, and stimulus duration influence judgments of continuity.

Applications appear in human–computer interaction, animation, and narrative design, where maintaining kontinensen can improve user experience by reducing perceived breaks in flow.

Critics argue that kontinensen is a construct of perception or theory rather than a robust ontological property, and that overreliance on continuity can obscure underlying discrete processes.

See also: continuity, object permanence, persistence, perdurance, time perception.