Objective Time Flow

TLDR

The theory departs from Grünbaum’s mind‑dependence view and seeks to sidestep his criticisms of Reichenbach’s earlier model. The authors propose an objective theory of temporal passage that characterizes time flow independently of conscious beings and aims to avoid Grünbaum’s objections. They model temporal becoming with indeterministic universe‑models, representing the past as a single four‑dimensional manifold and the future as a branched structure, and use this to formulate a temporal truth theory that rejects bivalence and defines physical law in terms of possibility. The theory predicts that time flow is relativistic, manifesting in a frame‑dependent but not observer‑dependent manner.

Abstract

A theory of temporal passage is put forward which is “objective” in the sense that time flow characterizes the universe independently of the existence of conscious beings. The theory differs from Grünbaum's “mind-dependence” theory, and is designed to avoid Grünbaum's criticisms of an earlier theory of Reichenbach's. The representation of temporal becoming is accomplished by the introduction of indeterministic universe-models; each model representing the universe at a time. The models depict the past as a single four-dimensional manifold, and the future as a branched structure of such manifolds. Time flow is relativistic in that it manifests itself in a frame-dependent (but not observer-dependent) way. The indeterministic character of the universe-models is mirrored in a “temporal” theory of truth which rejects the principle of bivalence, and suitable semantics are provided for this theory. Finally, an account of physical law is given which defines it in terms of physical possibility, rather than vice versa.