It is commonly thought that what is taking place in the present is all that exists: the past no longer exists, and the future is yet to exist - merely an abstract set of possibilities. This view is known as ‘tensed’ time.
It turns out, however, that this view of time is deeply problematic, and so some philosophers and scientists have suggested that time is in fact more like a dimension: the physical ordering of a set of stages of the Universe, which all exist together as one connected object. According to this picture of things, there are actually no differences between what we perceive as present, past and future: they are all equally real.
In Part I of this essay, Don Berry sets out the four-dimensionalist picture in more detail, and presents various arguments against the classical tensed view. In Part II, the essay explores how the knowledge that every moment of time exists can change the way we think of ourselves and the world around us in our everyday lives; from the debate about free will, to a concern that is close to many of us: human mortality.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- PART I: A WORLD WITHOUT CHANGE
- 1. Time and Passage: a Hidden Problem
- 2. The Four-dimensionalism Solution
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This work explores the nature of time and challenges the traditional view of time as a linear progression from past to present to future. It examines the philosophical and scientific arguments against the notion of tensed time, ultimately suggesting that time is a dimension, similar to spatial dimensions.
- The limitations of the tensed view of time
- The philosophical and scientific implications of time as a dimension
- The concept of four-dimensionalism and its compatibility with Einstein's theories of relativity
- The role of mathematics and physics in understanding time
- The analogy of a film reel as a representation of the Universe
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Chapter 1, "Time and Passage: a Hidden Problem," discusses the inherent contradictions in the common understanding of time as a linear progression. It argues that this view leads to an infinite hierarchy of temporal dimensions and is inconsistent with the principles of mathematics and physics.
- Chapter 2, "The Four-dimensionalism Solution," presents the alternative view of time as a dimension, comparable to spatial dimensions. This perspective, also known as static time, four-dimensionalism, or eternalism, asserts that all moments exist simultaneously in a four-dimensional space-time.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This text focuses on the philosophical and scientific understanding of time. Key terms and concepts include tensed time, four-dimensionalism, eternalism, static time, special relativity, quantum mechanics, and the analogy of the film reel. The work also delves into the philosophical implications of the nature of time, particularly as it relates to the concept of change and the existence of the past, present, and future.
- Quote paper
- Don Berry (Author), 2010, Time & Perspective, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/165550
