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Experiencing Time
Our engagement with time is a ubiquitous feature of our lives. We are aware of time on many scales, from the briefest flicker of change to the way our lives unfold over many years. But to what extent does this encounter reveal the true nature of temporal reality? To the extent that temporal reality is as it seems, how do we come to be aware of it? And to the extent that temporal reality is not as it seems, why does it seem that way? These are the central questions addressed by Simon Prosser in Experiencing Time .
These questions take on a particular importance in philosophy for two reasons. Firstly, there is a view concerning the metaphysics of time, known as the B-theory of time, according to which the apparently dynamic quality of change, the special status of the present, and even the passage of time are all illusions. Instead, the world is a four-dimensional space-time block, lacking any of the apparent dynamic features of time. If the B-theory is correct, as the book argues, then it must be explained why our experiences seem to tell us otherwise. Secondly, experiences of temporal features such as changes, rates and durations are of independent interest because of certain puzzles that they raise, the solutions to which may shed light on broader issues in the philosophy of mind.
These questions take on a particular importance in philosophy for two reasons. Firstly, there is a view concerning the metaphysics of time, known as the B-theory of time, according to which the apparently dynamic quality of change, the special status of the present, and even the passage of time are all illusions. Instead, the world is a four-dimensional space-time block, lacking any of the apparent dynamic features of time. If the B-theory is correct, as the book argues, then it must be explained why our experiences seem to tell us otherwise. Secondly, experiences of temporal features such as changes, rates and durations are of independent interest because of certain puzzles that they raise, the solutions to which may shed light on broader issues in the philosophy of mind.
- GenresPhilosophyNonfiction
238 pages, Hardcover
Published July 5, 2016
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June 26, 2021
maybe seems a little odd but this has been more thrilling and engaging to read than any crime series I've watched in a while. Honestly, I can't wait to attend a lecture of his again; I haven't encountered someone with a writing style comparably concise, clear yet elegant, and brilliantly constructed (and even funny) before. I guess it says a lot about teaching qualities when even Kant's transcendental idealism feels like a manageable topic, without simplifying it a bit.
Not sure whether I agree with eternalism but the 'passage of time' has been nicely played to checkmate by Prosser's arguments, and I'm curious whether there's gonna be a rematch.
Definitely have to read up on intentionalism, stage theory, objects in 4 D block universes, and specious present to have an opinion or proper positioning to 'Experiencing Time'--how exactly four-dimensionalist tensism and Prosser's B-theory are interrelated.
Finally, the entire bibliography is a beauty of a reading list, massive recommend to anyone who adores metaphysics and philosophy of mind!!
Not sure whether I agree with eternalism but the 'passage of time' has been nicely played to checkmate by Prosser's arguments, and I'm curious whether there's gonna be a rematch.
Definitely have to read up on intentionalism, stage theory, objects in 4 D block universes, and specious present to have an opinion or proper positioning to 'Experiencing Time'--how exactly four-dimensionalist tensism and Prosser's B-theory are interrelated.
Finally, the entire bibliography is a beauty of a reading list, massive recommend to anyone who adores metaphysics and philosophy of mind!!
Displaying 1 of 1 review