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We are all familiar with the notion that time passes, but what does this mean? In this talk, Dr Simon Prosser argues that time does not pass. He begins by outlining some philosophical theories of temporal passage (A-theories of time, including presentism and the growing block view), along with a class of theories according to which time does not objectively pass (the B-theory of time, what's called eternalism or the block universe). He then goes over traditional problems for the notion of passage, including McTaggart's argument, the issue of the rate of passage, and the argument that passage is incompatible with modern physics (particularly with Einstein's special theory of relativity). He then goes on to argue that, despite appearances to the contrary, it is not actually possible to experience time passing. But because the best reason for thinking that time passes is our experience of it, we no longer have any good reason for thinking that time actually passes. If this is right, then it is an important project for philosophers and psychologists to explain why it seems to us that time passes when it doesn't really do so.Uploaded 05-07-21This was given at Durham University in 2012.Read more about the nature of time and some of the philosophical issues which arise: https://iep.utm.edu/time/00:00 Introduction01:39 A-Series and B-Series04:35 The A-Theory of Time05:34 The B-Theory of Time08:05 The Ontology of the A and B Theories11:13 Four Arguments Against Passage11:44 McTaggart's Paradox15:23 The Rate of Passage17:27 Einstein's Theory of Relativity20:07 Final Argument20:58 Could we Build a Device that detects Passage?23:07 Why No Physical Device can detect Passage25:25 Eddington on Experiencing Passage29:42 The Impossibility of Experiencing Passage39:56 Time does not Pass43:55 Summary#philosophy #time #philosophyoftime #metaphysics #epistemology #historyofphilosophy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
