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Eternalism (philosophy of time)

Overview

In the philosophy of space and time, eternalism is an ontological view according to which all existence in time is equally real, as opposed to presentism or the growing block universe theory of time, in which at least the future is not the same as any other time. Some forms of eternalism give time a similar ontology to that of space, as a dimension, with different times being as real as different places, and future events are "already there" in the same sense other places are already there, and that there is no objective flow of time.

It is sometimes referred to as the "block time" or "block universe" theory due to its description of space-time as an unchanging four-dimensional "block", as opposed to the view of the world as a three-dimensional space modulated by the passage of time.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Possible passages

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To take a simple example, _A, B, C_ may be three definite colours with the spatio-temporal relatedness to each other of three faces of a regular tetrahedron, anywhere at any time. Then _R(A, B, C)_ is another eternal object of the lowest complex grade. Analogously there are eternal objects of successively higher grades. In respect to any complex eternal object, _S(D1, D2, ... Dn)_, the eternal objects _D1, ... Dn_…
Alfred North Whitehead, Science and the modern world
States what Eternalism is.
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But since it cannot abide, it hurries along the infinite path of time, and the result has been that it continues by ceaseless movement the life the completeness of which it could not embrace while it stood still. So, if we are minded to give things their right names, we shall follow Plato in saying that God indeed is eternal, but the world everlasting.
Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
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Now the protraction of duration seems to belong to operation rather than to being; hence time is the numbering of movement. Reply Obj. 3: Eternity is called whole, not because it has parts, but because it is wanting in nothing. Reply Obj. 4: As God, although incorporeal, is named in Scripture metaphorically by corporeal names, so eternity though simultaneously whole, is called by names implying time and succession.
Aquinas Thomas, Summa Theologica, Part I
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Philosophers who discussed Eternalism (philosophy of time)

Milič Čapek

Related ideas

Place in the tradition

Part of Analytic philosophy.

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