Does the future exist? Natalia Kaparuk, entry for the University of Sheffield philosophy essay prize 2015
Does the future exist?
It is fair to propose that our idea of the concept of time began within the borders of human reasoning and apprehension. The notion of "future" is variably interpreted across religions, cultures and between philosophers, but in essence, it is known as the inevitable passage of time and events that are yet to occur.
“It is utterly beyond our power to measure the changes of things by time. Quite the contrary, time is an abstraction at which we arrive through the changes of things.” -Ernst Mach.
From this perceptive remark we can conclude that time as such doesn 't actually exist but instead undergoes change. Before I attempt to explore the concept of "future", it is essential to determine the aspects of the idea of "time". Time is after all merely a human invention, a way to measure change and movement. It can be perceived as either circular or linear.
The "linear" idea of time is also known as the "arrow of time", …show more content…
The present is considered to be an "objective property" which can be perceived as a moving spotlight. As time passes, the universe expands and the "block" is said to be growing. This "growth" takes place in spacetime - the fourth dimension - whilst the past is considered to be locked in history. The present however is ontologically most significant here because it is representative of an equilibrium state from which we can measure change as time progresses, even though the present itself is poised and not changing. Consequently, this means we are always in the present and everything that happens is immediately considered the past and without theoretical or objective evidence the future here is
Does the future exist?
It is fair to propose that our idea of the concept of time began within the borders of human reasoning and apprehension. The notion of "future" is variably interpreted across religions, cultures and between philosophers, but in essence, it is known as the inevitable passage of time and events that are yet to occur.
“It is utterly beyond our power to measure the changes of things by time. Quite the contrary, time is an abstraction at which we arrive through the changes of things.” -Ernst Mach.
From this perceptive remark we can conclude that time as such doesn 't actually exist but instead undergoes change. Before I attempt to explore the concept of "future", it is essential to determine the aspects of the idea of "time". Time is after all merely a human invention, a way to measure change and movement. It can be perceived as either circular or linear.
The "linear" idea of time is also known as the "arrow of time", …show more content…
The present is considered to be an "objective property" which can be perceived as a moving spotlight. As time passes, the universe expands and the "block" is said to be growing. This "growth" takes place in spacetime - the fourth dimension - whilst the past is considered to be locked in history. The present however is ontologically most significant here because it is representative of an equilibrium state from which we can measure change as time progresses, even though the present itself is poised and not changing. Consequently, this means we are always in the present and everything that happens is immediately considered the past and without theoretical or objective evidence the future here is