Michael 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...
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Résumé
Michael 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 in philosophy. In recent years, it has become the focus of vigorous debate between advocates of rival theories, as traditional, 'tensed' accounts of time, which hold that time bas 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 events, rather than objective properties of events. Time, Tense, and Causation offers a new approach, in many ways intermediate between these two rivals. Tooley shares with tensed approaches the view that the universe is dynamic, holding that the past and the present are real while the future is not; but he rejects the view that this entails that there are 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 lies in the nature of causation. He also offers analyses of tensed concepts, and discusses semantic issues concerning 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 essential reading for anyone specializing in this area of philosophy.
Sommaire
CAUSATION, TIME, AND ONTOLOGY
The Nature of Time : Alternative Accounts and Basic Issues
Actuality and Actuality as of a Time
Temporally Relative Facts and the Argument from Preventability. Facts, Causation, and Time
SEMANTICAL ISSUES
Truth and Truth at a Time
TENSED FACTS
Tensed Accounts of the Nature of Time
Past, Present, and Future
Past, Present, and Future : Alternative Accounts
TEMPORAL RELATIONS
Causation and Temporal Relations
OBJECTIONS
Philosophical Objections
The Special Theory of Relativity and the Unreality of the Future