Presentism: do the past and the future exist?

[ThisIsMe]

This is another topic that interests me. Presentism is the belief that the past doesn’t exist nor does the future. The only thing that exists is the very moment you’re currently living in. With every passing moment, what was ceases to exist, and what is to be doesnt exist yet. Kind of like and old movie projector. The loaded reel hasn’t been created yet and the empty reel no longer exists. The only thing that does exist is what is currently in front of the lense, nothing else.

Some believe that the past and the future do exist, some don’t.

What do you think?

 

[White 6]

This is another topic that interests me. Presentism is the belief that the past doesn’t exist nor does the future. The only thing that exists is the very moment you’re currently living in. With every passing moment, what was ceases to exist, and what is to be doesnt exist yet. Kind of like and old movie projector. The loaded reel hasn’t been created yet and the empty reel no longer exists. The only thing that does exist is what is currently in front of the lense, nothing else.

Some believe that the past and the future do exist, some don’t.

What do you think?

Forgotten your childhood in the past, already? Just not a good short or long term planner? Hope you are having a good time and enjoying good luck in your moment.

 

[ThisIsMe]

Forgotten your childhood in the past, already? Just not a good short or long term planner? Hope you are having a good time and enjoying good luck in your moment.

Well, the argument would be that the past only exists as a memory, or electrical impulses in the brain, but what’s gone is gone and your future doesn’t exist yet. That’s the argument.

Not saying you can’t plan for the future, but, some would say that the actual future doesn’t exist, only the very moment you are experiencing right now. Some do believe that the future exists, however.

 

[Dekster]

This is another topic that interests me. Presentism is the belief that the past doesn’t exist nor does the future. The only thing that exists is the very moment you’re currently living in. With every passing moment, what was ceases to exist, and what is to be doesnt exist yet. Kind of like and old movie projector. The loaded reel hasn’t been created yet and the empty reel no longer exists. The only thing that does exist is what is currently in front of the lense, nothing else.

Some believe that the past and the future do exist, some don’t.

What do you think?

I think time is a purely human construct. A tool no different than a hammer or wheelbarrow.

 

[Kilroy2]

Sound more like a play on words and how one define exists. Akin to live in the moment. The past is gone but you can learn from it. The future is not here yet and you can prepare yourself to achieve any goals that you set. Repeat then do it again.

You certainly do not want to be stuck in the moment.

 

[Innocynioc]

To be grammatically correct your user name should be "this is I."

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

This is another topic that interests me. Presentism is the belief that the past doesn’t exist nor does the future. The only thing that exists is the very moment you’re currently living in. With every passing moment, what was ceases to exist, and what is to be doesnt exist yet. Kind of like and old movie projector. The loaded reel hasn’t been created yet and the empty reel no longer exists. The only thing that does exist is what is currently in front of the lense, nothing else.

Some believe that the past and the future do exist, some don’t.

What do you think?

Postmodern Science Is Superstition

That's why time is not a dimension; it has no extension. Even a Supreme Being can't know the future, because there's nothing there to know about.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

Well, the argument would be that the past only exists as a memory, or electrical impulses in the brain, but what’s gone is gone and your future doesn’t exist yet. That’s the argument.

Remember How Great Nostalgia Used to Be?

Oldies stations today play boring 90s music. But back in the 90s, Oldies stations played the great music from the 60s.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

I think time is a purely human construct. A tool no different from a hammer or wheelbarrow.

Sounds Too Much Like the Lie About Race

 

[Foxfyre]

This is another topic that interests me. Presentism is the belief that the past doesn’t exist nor does the future. The only thing that exists is the very moment you’re currently living in. With every passing moment, what was ceases to exist, and what is to be doesnt exist yet. Kind of like and old movie projector. The loaded reel hasn’t been created yet and the empty reel no longer exists. The only thing that does exist is what is currently in front of the lense, nothing else.

Some believe that the past and the future do exist, some don’t.

What do you think?

At first blush one would think you need to sober up.

But let's go with this as a reasonable question from a reasonable person.

1. If there is no past, explain memory.
2. If there is no future, explain why anything matters.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

To be grammatically correct your user name should be "this is I."

Logic Brings Clarity

"I" doesn't govern the verb (not "This am I"), so it can't be the subject and can't be in the subjective case. So it is an oblique case, an "indirect subject," so "This is me" makes more sense.

 

[Foxfyre]

One wonders why The Sage of Main Street disagreed with my Post #10 which I thought rather reasonable given the OP when he/she went into all sorts of non sequitur posts?

Otherwise I rather appreciate the OP's difficult philosophical and perhaps even scientific question that is outside the mainstream.

 

[braalian]

This is another topic that interests me. Presentism is the belief that the past doesn’t exist nor does the future. The only thing that exists is the very moment you’re currently living in. With every passing moment, what was ceases to exist, and what is to be doesnt exist yet. Kind of like and old movie projector. The loaded reel hasn’t been created yet and the empty reel no longer exists. The only thing that does exist is what is currently in front of the lense, nothing else.

Some believe that the past and the future do exist, some don’t.

What do you think?

Sounds like the Stephen king short story The Langoliers, where little monster things eat the past, always just behind the present

 

[Blaster]

Well, the argument would be that the past only exists as a memory, or electrical impulses in the brain, but what’s gone is gone and your future doesn’t exist yet. That’s the argument.

Not saying you can’t plan for the future, but, some would say that the actual future doesn’t exist, only the very moment you are experiencing right now. Some do believe that the future exists, however.

I once met a man that said he was a time traveler.

 

[Nobody911]

This is another topic that interests me. Presentism is the belief that the past doesn’t exist nor does the future. The only thing that exists is the very moment you’re currently living in. With every passing moment, what was ceases to exist, and what is to be doesnt exist yet. Kind of like and old movie projector. The loaded reel hasn’t been created yet and the empty reel no longer exists. The only thing that does exist is what is currently in front of the lense, nothing else.

Some believe that the past and the future do exist, some don’t.

What do you think?

Questions :
1. What's presentism?

2. Do the past and the future exist?

Answers :
1. Presentism is a philosophical concept that suggests only the present moment is real and that the past and future do not have any real existence.

According to presentism, time is considered to be a fundamental aspect of reality, and only the current moment is considered to have temporal existence.

2. The question of whether the past and the future exist is a subject of debate among philosophers and scientists. Some argue that the past and future are real entities that exist in some form, while others propose that they might be mere concepts or constructs of human perception.

From a metaphysical standpoint, the past is often seen as having existed but no longer being directly accessible or changeable.

It is considered to have left traces and influences in the present, such as memories, records, and artifacts. On the other hand, the future is often considered to be a realm of possibilities and potential outcomes that have not yet occurred.

Physics, particularly in theories like the block universe or the theory of relativity, can offer alternative perspectives on the existence of the past and the future.

These theories suggest that past, present, and future all exist simultaneously( continuum )and that our perception of time as a strictly linear progression is a result of our limited perspective.

Imagine you're standing on top of a tall building with a panoramic view of a city skyline. From this vantage point, you can see all the buildings in the city, both old and new. Each building represents a different moment in time – the past, the present, and the future.

Now imagine that you are an omnipotent being with the ability to see and experience all these moments at once. From your perspective, all the buildings exist simultaneously, and you can freely move your gaze between them, recognizing that they are all interconnected.

In this analogy, the buildings represent moments in time, and your omniscient viewpoint represents the block universe or the theory of relativity. Just as you can perceive the entire city skyline at once, these theories suggest that all moments in time exist together in a continuum, rather than being confined to a linear progression that we experience as past, present, and future.

This analogy simplifies the complex concepts of physics and should be taken as a way to visualize the idea, rather than a literal representation of the theories themselves.

 

[zaangalewa]

Presentism: do the past and the future exist?​

Augustinus (354-430 AD) said past, present and future do not exist. He speaks about the present of the past, the present of the present and the present of the future. So time is for him "only" a psychological factor: The past is a memory in the present, and the future is an expectation in the present, while the present itself is a moment passing by our mind from the future into the past.

On the other side seems nothing to be in quantum mechanics as hard as it is space and time. We can measure shortest time effects in an unbelievable accuracy - while it is on the other side in the theory of relativity only a kind of perception of one of the four dimesions of the spacetime which can be relativelly stretched by masses and/or acceleration.

Time is for sure one of the most fascinating and most important phenomenons of your existence - specially also when we think about that our religion tells us that god created another form of intelligent life before he had created human beings: angels. This are entities existing without time. Often also associated with light (colorful heavenly existences, angels) and dark (underworld shadow existences, devils) not only in physical "dimensions".

But what do I know really on my own about time? It flows - better to say: I'll grow older until I will die one day. And the world around me grows younger - astonishingly - but it grows younger. Okay - in the moment is a litte break "back into the 19th century" - but I do not think this is the real direction - only a kind of turbulence.

And whatelse do I know about time? I know "Time is not money". No one is able to buy only a second.

Anything else what I know? ... I fear my knowledege about time - and also the knowledge of everyone else about time - will be able to be written down in a very small book - although it is one of the most interesting phenomenons since very long billions of years "before" god made it from nothing.

... ohh ...

... and what I also know: I also was made "before" this had happened - "before" time was created, because yesterday someone was able to murder me and so he was also able to wipe out my existence today. But also something or someone had been able to kill my mother before I was born. Then I also would not exist today, now in the moment. And so on and so on. Always existed the possibility not to exist today for me - so on the other side something what is now "I" always existed since this universe existed (="I am the universe") - although no one - except god and perhaps his angels - had been able to see "me" a million years ago for example. So in general: What do we "see" today? And what do we not see? What will be the real effects of our actions now in a billion years? ...

 

[zaangalewa]

... Some believe that the past and the future do exist, some don’t.

What do you think?

Most people think (because of the standard brainwash from science fiction films): If you will enter a time machine and travel to yesterday then yesterday will still be "there". But what if yesterday is not yesterday any longer? On the "place" where yesterday is could be "now" anything else or nothing any longer. So yesterday could be indeed only a place in your memory today - what on the other side not means that the yesterday of yesterday - better to say: the present of yesterday yesterday not had been real - and that's why it is in your memory now.

 

[zaangalewa]

I think time is a purely human construct.

And how do you explain that you are able to drink milk or that our planet moves around the sun?

A tool no different than a hammer or wheelbarrow.

From what material do you make your tool "time" and how and why did you make this tool?

 

[zaangalewa]

Sound more like a play on words and how one define exists. Akin to live in the moment. The past is gone but you can learn from it. ...

But you not may get a second look - as you are doing in a book or a film or a song for example. What you did not notice is lost.

Time gives not many chances. "Do it, now!" she says. "But I do what I think" you answer "My spirit, my intellect, my rationality is timeless." ... Indeed a new interesting thought for me. ... "How to paralyze time?" ... "By parallelization"? ... Time as a serial flow forces attentiveness and forces us to think in (alternating, parallel) possibilities - and forces us to believe, forces us to do the right things in which we are only able to believe with plausibility. Andn if we are wrong then we are lost.

 

[zaangalewa]

Postmodern Science Is Superstition

That's why time is not a dimension; it has no extension. Even a Supreme Being can't know the future, because there's nothing there to know about.

The future is caused by the past (energy "flows" from the past to the future) - so there is something to know about the future independent from our own stupidity.