Time, Tense, and CausationMichael Tooley presents a major new philosophical study of time and its relation to causation. The nature of time has always been one of the most fascinating and perplexing problems of philosophy; it has in recent years become the focus of vigorous debate between advocates of rival theories. The traditional, `tensed' accounts of time which hold that time has a direction and that the flow of time is part of the nature of the universe have been challenged by `tenseless' accounts of time, according to which past, present, and future are merely subjective features of experience, rather than objective features of events. Time, Tense and Causation offers a new approach, in many ways intermediate between these two rivals. Tooley shares with tensed approaches the views that the universe if dynamic, and that the past and present are real while the future is not; but he rejects the view that this points to the existence of irreducible tensed facts. Tooley's approach accounts for time in terms of its relation to causation; he argues that the direction of time is based upon the direction of causation, and that the key to understanding the dynamic nature of the universe is to understand the nature of causation. He analyses tensed concepts, and discusses semantic issues about truth and time, Finally, addressing the formidable difficulties posed for tensed accounts of time by the Special Theory of Relativity, he suggests that a modified version of the theory, compatible with the account of time in this book, is to be preferred to the standard version. Time, Tense, and Causation is rich in sophisticated and stimulating discussions of many of the deepest problems of metaphysics. It will be essentail reading for anyone specialising in this area of philosophy. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Alternative Accounts | 11 |
Actuality and Actuality as of a Time | 35 |
Temporally Relative Facts and the Argument | 43 |
Facts Causation and Time | 89 |
Truth and Truth at a Time | 123 |
Truth and Truth at a Time | 151 |
Tensed Accounts of the Nature of Time | 157 |
Tensed Properties | 229 |
Causation and Temporal Relations | 253 |
Temporal Priority | 282 |
Philosophical Objections | 301 |
Philosophical Objections | 303 |
about the Future | 316 |
The Special Theory of Relativity and the Unreality | 335 |
Summary and Conclusions | 375 |
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Common terms and phrases
absolute simultaneity actual affairs analysed in terms analytically basic argued argument from preventability backward causation Broad's causal connectibility causal laws causal loops causal processes causal relations causal theory claim concept of truth consider counterfactuals direction of causation disjunction dynamic world earlier entail event of type existence factual truth formulation future given idea indeterminate involve indexicals J. J. C. Smart later logical connectives modified theory n-tuple objection one-way speed ordinary tensed sentences past philosophers posterior probability present are real principle prior probability proposition question reductionist relevant secondly singularist sort space-time points Special Theory speed of light supervenience t₂ temporal concepts temporal distance temporal priority temporal relations tensed accounts tensed approaches tensed concepts tensed facts tensed properties tensed statements tensed terms tensed view tenseless approaches tenseless temporal tenselessly terms of tensed Theory of Relativity three-valued logic tion token truth conditions truth simpliciter truth-functional truth-maker truth-tables truth-value two-valued type Q utterance