Time, Tense, and Causation

Presents a major philosophical theory of the nature of time. The author argues for a dynamic conception of the universe, according to which past, present, and future are not merely subjective features of experience: past and present are real, while the future is not.

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 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.