McTaggart’s Paradox: Its Nature and Implications for the Unreality of Time

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Prof. of Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic)

Abstract

 Investigations about time have been central to metaphysical inquiries. J.M.E McTaggart, the English philosopher of the early 20th century, argued for the unreality of time. He constructed two conceptual frameworks: A-series – “past”, “present” and “future” being its main concepts – and B-series – “earlier”, “simultaneous” and “later” being its main concepts – and asserted that time being real requires events to form an A-series. McTaggart, then, argued that a vicious circle or regress is inherent in the A-series. McTaggart’s paradox is the contradiction appearing in each step of the regress. As McTaggart’s paradox has been the subject of different (mis)interpretations, this article presents a new exposition of its structure by employing formal tools of modern temporal logic. The assumption that the series A is real, leads to a contradiction between different temporal descriptions of a single event. Tense operators are applied to demonstrate how a vicious infinite regress would entail the A-series. McTaggart’s paradox has invoked much controversy and a relevant worthwhile categorization is the second main contribution of this article. Some of those believing in the reality of time has denied the paradox’s alleged regress. Others among them have declared the paradox genuine, though resorted to the B-series for the reality of time. Meanwhile, some others have accepted McTaggart’s argument in its totality, with the conclusion of the unreality of time. Each camp is led by major philosophers, and their heated discussions on McTaggart’s paradox are still continuing.
 

Keywords

References

  1.  

    1. Abdollahi, ‪Mohammad Ali and Farhanian, Fateme, (2005), “The Metaphysics of Time”, Metaphysics, Volume 3, No. 11 & 12, pp. 1-16 [in Farsi].

     

    1. Ansarimehr, Roham and Shanazari, Jafar, (2012), “Time without the Passage in Mulla Sadra's Philosophy”, Philosophy and Kalam, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 7-24 [in Farsi].

     

    1. Broad, C. D., (1927 [1923]), Scientific Thought, London, Kegan Paul.
    2. Broad, C. D., (1938) An Examination of McTaggart’s Philosophy, Volume II, Part 1, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

     

    1. Dummett, Michael, (1960), “A Defense of McTaggart’s Proof of the Unreality of Time”, Philosophical Review, Vol. 69, No. 4, pp. 497–504. Reprinted in his (1978) Truth and Other Enigmas, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, pp. 351–357.

     

    1. Geach, Peter, (1995), “Cambridge Philosophers III: McTaggart”, Philosophy, Vol. 70, No. 274, pp. 567–579.

     

    1. Hodjati, Seyyed Mohammad Ali, (1997), “The nature of Time viewed from the perspectives of Islamic philosophers and McTaggart”, Modares, No. 1, pp. 57-73 [in Farsi].

     

    1. Ingthorsson, R. D., (2016), McTaggart's Paradox, New York and London: Routledge.

     

    1. Iqbal, Mohammad, (1934), The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, London: Oxford University Press.

     

    1. Iqbal, Muhammad, (1995), Speeches, Writings and Statements of Iqbal, Compiled and Edited by Latif Ahmed Sherwani, Lahore: Iqbal Academy Pakistan.

     

    1. McTaggart, J. Ellis, (1908), “The Unreality of Time”, Mind (New Series), Vol. 17, No. 68, pp. 457–74.

     

    1. McTaggart, John McTaggart Ellis, (1927), The Nature of Existence, vol. 2, ed. C. D. Broad, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

     

    1. McTaggart, J. McT. Ellis, (1934), Philosophical Studies, ed. S.V. Keeling, London: Edward Arnold & Co.

     

    1. McTaggart, John McTaggart Ellis, (1968 [1921]), The Nature of Existence, vol. 1, ed. C. D. Broad, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

     

    1. Mellor, D.H., (1998), Real Time II, London and New York: Routledge.

     

    1. Moore, G.E., (1925), “Death of Dr. McTaggart”, Mind (New Series), Vol. 34, No. 134, pp. 269–271.

     

    1. Motahhari, Morteza, (2011), Collected Works, Vol. 25, Tehran: Sadra [in Farsi].

     

    1. Nyíri, Kristóf, (2010), “Hundred Years After: How McTaggart Became a Thing of the Past”, in T. Czarnecki et al. (eds.), The Analytical Way: Proceedings of the 6th European Congress of Analytic Philosophy, London: College Publications, pp. 47–64.

     

    1. Oaklander, L. Nathan, (2002), “McTaggart’s Paradox Defended”, Metaphysica: International Journal for Ontology and Metaphysics, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 11–25.

     

    1. Øhrstrøm, Peter, and Hasle, Per F. V., (1995), Temporal Logic: From Ancient Ideas to Artificial Intelligence, Dordrecht, Boston and London: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

     

    1. Prior, Arthur, (1967), Past, Present and Future, Oxford: Clarendon Press.

     

    1. Russell, Bertrand, (1998), Autobiography, London and New York: Routledge.

     

    1. Shahmir, Saeedeh and Hossein Khani Ali, (2021), “McTaggart on the Unreality of Time: Boghossian's Argument against Error-Theory”, Zehn, Vol. 21, No. 81, pp. 91-116 [in Farsi].
    1. Shariati, Ali, (1997), We and Iqbal, Tehran: Elham. [in Farsi]

     

    1. Zimmerman, Dean, (2011), “Presentism and the space-time manifold” in Craig Callender (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Time, Oxford University Press, pp. 163–244.
Journal of Religious Thought : A Quarterly Journal of Shiraz University
Volume 21, Issue 80 - Serial Number 80
October 2021
Pages 107-124

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics