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Philosophies
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Exploring Concepts of Time and Tense
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Exploring Concepts of Time and Tense

A special issue of Philosophies (ISSN 2409-9287).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 2093

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Peter Øhrstrøm

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark
Interests: the philosophy of time; tense-logic; modal logic; A.N. Prior’s philosophy; the history of logic

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In his Confessions XI, c. XIV, St. Augustine stated: “What, then, is time? If no one asks me, I know: if I wish to ex­plain it to one that asketh, I know not”. This claim is very famous, and it is still important to consider and discuss the insights behind it. Time is not definable in terms of other con­cepts. However, as we all have a tacit knowledge of what time is, we are able to explore conceptual aspects of time. Philosophical studies of the concept of time and the difficult problems related to it may significantly support interdisciplinary research concerning the temporal aspects of reality. One essential topic of discussion deals with the static versus the dynamic conception of time. A similar problem concerns the relation between the tensed and untensed language of time, and the question of whether there are tensed facts. Other important problems within the philosophy of time concern the understanding of notions like the passing of time, the Now, eternity, the temporal identity of objects, beginning and ending, etc.

The 20th century has seen a very important development within the philosophical study of time. One of the most important contributions to the modern philosophy of time was made in the 1950s and 1960s by A.N. Prior, who became the founder of modern tense logic. He presented his ideas for the very first time in 1954 and continued to work on tense logic and temporal logic until his death in 1969. Since then, philosophers and logicians have continued working within Prior’s paradigm. Tense logic offers a formal language that makes it possible to discuss ideas of circular, linear and even branching time in a conceptually precise manner.  Furthermore, the tense-logical ideas are important within the study of future contingency. In particular, the tense-logical approach is useful in the discussion of whether a contingent statement about the future can be true now.  In fact, this problem is the secular counterpart of the classical problem in philosophy of religion concerning the apparent conflict between the doctrines of divine foreknowledge and human freedom.

This Special Issue on “Exploring Concepts of Time and Tense” aims to make progress with respect to at least some of these (and related) issues. We therefore invite original research articles on, though not limited to, any of the topics mentioned above. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Peter Øhrstrøm
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Philosophies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tensed facts
  • tense logic
  • the passing of time
  • the Now
  • beginning
  • ending
  • circular time
  • branching time
  • future contingency

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 594 KiB  
Article
Arthur Prior and Augustine’s Alleged Presentism
by Thomas N. Steiner
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060162 - 24 Oct 2024
Viewed by 876
Abstract
This article examines the influence of Augustinian thought in the development of Arthur Prior’s tense logic. In particular, the article investigates Prior’s use of the 11th chapter of Confessiones and debates whether Augustinian temporality can correctly be characterized as a form of presentism. [...] Read more.
This article examines the influence of Augustinian thought in the development of Arthur Prior’s tense logic. In particular, the article investigates Prior’s use of the 11th chapter of Confessiones and debates whether Augustinian temporality can correctly be characterized as a form of presentism. The investigation follows two distinct paths: The first part demonstrates the significance of Augustinian thought in the development of presentism and discusses the validity of Prior’s claim that this ontological doctrine “embodies the truth” behind Augustine’s view of past, present, and future. This line of inquiry will show that Augustine’s discussion in Confessiones does contain elements that could be applied in developing such a view of the ontology of time. The second part of the article, however, will highlight the dangers of applying concepts of the modern philosophical debate anachronistically when interpreting Augustine, as his view of time is then not adequately represented and often severely misunderstood. Understanding the historical roots of presentism accentuates the need for an explicit and careful definition of the concept in the contemporary debate about time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Concepts of Time and Tense)
14 pages, 1185 KiB  
Article
Tense-Logic and the Revival of Philosophical Theology
by David Jakobsen
Philosophies 2024, 9(5), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9050139 - 31 Aug 2024
Viewed by 827
Abstract
The article discusses Nicholas Wolterstorff’s explanations for the flourishing of philosophical theology in analytic philosophy by taking Arthur Norman Prior’s (1914–1969) development of tense-logic into account. Prior’s work challenged the prevailing anti-metaphysical norms in analytic philosophy and introduced an alternative understanding of the [...] Read more.
The article discusses Nicholas Wolterstorff’s explanations for the flourishing of philosophical theology in analytic philosophy by taking Arthur Norman Prior’s (1914–1969) development of tense-logic into account. Prior’s work challenged the prevailing anti-metaphysical norms in analytic philosophy and introduced an alternative understanding of the relationship between logic and metaphysics. Prior’s application of tense-logic to an analysis of the concept of existence in quantified tense-logic and his exploration of future contingency in branching time semantics provide a strong reason for why analytic philosophy naturally incorporates philosophical theology. These considerations lead us to modify Wolterstorff’s emphasis on the importance of meta-epistemology for the resurgence of philosophical theology. A development in logic was necessary. Furthermore, Prior’s importance questions the assumption that philosophical theology was a consequence of theistic philosophers seeking ways to defend theistic beliefs in analytic philosophy. This is not true for Prior. His invention of tense-logic and discussion of omniscience was driven by an existential interest in finding answers to philosophical problems concerning divine foreknowledge and human freedom which ultimately led him to reject his Christian beliefs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Concepts of Time and Tense)
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