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.
