The Best Arguments For The A-Theory of Time

Three good arguments for A-theory, one of which is original to me

A-theorists are those who claim that there is a single objective present moment of time. A-theorists claim that only the present moment is real. The past was real but is no longer. The future will be real but isn’t yet. I’m pretty undecided on this question, but I think there are some decent and underexplored arguments for A-theory. I thought I’d present them here.

A-theorists think there really is an objective present moment that constantly changes. B-theorists, in contrast, think that every moment is equally real. Just like both here and there are real, and here isn’t metaphysically privileged over there—it’s not as though here is real and there isn’t—B-theorists think that every moment of time is equally real.

Note here that I’m not going to be addressing the main arguments for B-theory. The best argument for B-theory comes from results in physics, but I don’t feel I’m equipped to discuss them. I’m just presenting the case for A-theory. To form an educated view, you’d obviously have to know the arguments for B-theory too!

In particular, I think there’s a pretty potent argument for A-theory that, to the best of my knowledge, no one else has made.