Out of Time A Philosophical Study of Timelessness

by Baron, Samuel; Miller, Kristie; Tallant, Jonathan

• ISBN13: 9780192864888
• ISBN10: 0192864882
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780192688279
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2022-10-03
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• More Book Details

Summary

The idea that time does not exist is, for many, unthinkable: time must exist. Almost every experience we have tells us so.

There has been plenty of debate around what time is like, but not whether it exists. The goal of this book is to make the absence of time thinkable. Time might not exist. Beginning with an empirically flavoured examination of the 'folk' concept of time, the book explores the implications this has for our understanding of agency, and the extent to which our best physics and best metaphysics are compatible with a timeless conception of reality.

Author Biography

Samuel Baron, Australian Catholic University,Kristie Miller, The University of Sydney,Jonathan Tallant, University of Nottingham

Sam Baron joined the Dianoia Institute of Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University as Associate Professor at its inception in 2020. Since completing a PhD at the University of Sydney in 2012 he has published widely in metaphysics and philosophy of science. He currently holds an ARC
fellowship to investigate timelessness.

Kristie Miller is a Professor at the University of Sydney. She completed a PhD at the University of Queensland and has since held several ARC fellowships. She is currently a joint director of the Centre for Time. She publishes widely in metaphysics.

Jonathan Tallant is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Nottingham. He completed a PhD at Durham University. Much of his work concerns issues in the philosophy of time and he is a former President of the Philosophy of Time Society.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Part I
1. Folk Concepts of Time
2. Empirical Results
3. Study Methodology
4. The Sydney Time Studies
Part II
5. A Quick Argument for Timelessness
6. Metaphysical Emergence
7. Approximating Spacetime
8. Causation and Time
Part III
9. An Error Theory about Time
10. The Trouble with Error Theory
11. Time and Agency
Future Directions