Other Times: Philosophical Perspectives on Past, Present and Future"We view things from a certain position in time: in our language, thought, feelings and actions, we draw distinctions between what has happened, is happening, and will happen. Current approaches to this feature of our lives - those seen in disputes between tensed and tenseless theories, between realist and anti-realist treatments of past and future, and in accounts of historical knowledge - embody serious misunderstandings of the character of the issues; they misconstrue the relation between metaphysics and ethics, and the way to characterise the kind of sense which tensed language has. David Cockburn argues that the notion of 'reasons for emotion' must have a central place in any account of meaning, and that the present should have no priority in our understanding of tense. This allows for a more satisfactory articulation of the place of past, present and future in our thought, and of the form which criticism of our thought might take"--Publisher description. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
Under the aspect of eternity | 14 |
The view from here | 36 |
Memory emotions and the past | 50 |
The role of tense | 72 |
Tense and ontology | 97 |
The passage of time | 129 |
PART TWO Past present and future | 165 |
The present | 167 |
The reality of the future | 205 |
Testimony history and the real past | 243 |
PART THREE Time and eternity | 321 |
Time and eternity in Spinoza and Weil | 323 |
344 | |
353 | |
Other editions - View all
Other Times: Philosophical Perspectives on Past, Present and Future David Cockburn No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
A. N. Prior accept anti-realist argued argument Aristotle articulation assertion behaviour beliefs causal central chapter characterisation claim clear concern confronted context contrast course crucial death discussion Dummett emotions example experience explanation expressed fact feature formulations fundamental future events future tense G. E. M. Anscombe give grasp grounds happened historian ibid idea involves judgements justify kind knowledge language linked lives Lucretius mastery McTaggart's memory metaphysical Michael Dummett mounting terror Nagel narratives notion objects one's ontological pain particular passage past and future past or future past tense perhaps Peter Winch philosophical possible present and future present tense Pumsaint Quentin Smith question radical rain reality reasons for action reflection relation sense sentence significance Simone Weil simply someone speak Spinoza statements suggestion suppose talk temporal tenseless view testimony things tion tomorrow true or false truth conditions understanding utterance Wittgenstein words