Written for the most part in an engaging dialogue style, Time, Change and Freedom covers metaphysical topics from a student's perspective and introduces key concepts through a process of explanation, reformulation and critique. Focusing on the philosophy of time, the dialogues cover such topics as the beginning and end of time, the nature of personal identity, and the relation of human freedom to theories of fatalism, divine foreknowledge and determinism. Each dialogue closes with a glossary of terms and suggestions for further reading. Time, Change and Freedom concludes with a discussion of the metaphysical implications of Einstein's theory of relativity and a review of contemporary theories of time and the universe. Written in an accessible, non-technical style, Time, Change and Freedom is an ideal introduction to the key themes of contemporary metaphysics.
Author(s): L. Na Oaklander
Edition: 1
Year: 1995
Language: English
Pages: 224
Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Introduction......Page 8
Part I The finite and the infinite......Page 14
Dialogue 1 The beginning of time......Page 15
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 24
FURTHER READING......Page 25
Dialogue 2 The infinity of past and future time......Page 27
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 40
FURTHER READING......Page 41
Dialogue 3 The relational and substantival theories of time......Page 43
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 50
FURTHER READING......Page 51
Dialogue 4 Eternity......Page 53
STUDY QUESTIONS......Page 61
FURTHER READING......Page 62
Part II Time and identity......Page 63
Dialogue 5 The problem of change......Page 64
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 70
FURTHER READING......Page 71
Dialogue 6 The passage of time......Page 73
NOTES......Page 100
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 101
FURTHER READING......Page 102
Dialogue 7 Personal identity......Page 104
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 118
FURTHER READING......Page 119
Dialogue 8 Personal identity and time......Page 121
FURTHER READING......Page 129
Part III The nature of freedom......Page 131
Dialogue 9 Fatalism and tenseless time......Page 132
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 143
FURTHER READING......Page 144
Dialogue 10 God, time and freedom......Page 146
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 158
FURTHER READING......Page 159
Dialogue 11 Freedom, determinism and responsibility......Page 161
STUDY QUESTIONS......Page 174
FURTHER READING......Page 175
Appendix Physical time and the universe......Page 176
THE THEORY OF ABSOLUTE SPACE......Page 178
THE TWO POSTULATES OF EINSTEIN’S SPECIAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY......Page 180
THE STRANGE BEHAVIOR OF LIGHT......Page 181
THE RELATIVITY OF THE LENGTH OF TEMPORAL INTERVALS......Page 183
THE RELATIVITY OF SIMULTANEITY......Page 185
ABSOLUTE TEMPORAL RELATIONS IN THE SPECIAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY......Page 187
THE TENSED THEORY OF TIME AND EINSTEIN’S SPECIAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY......Page 192
NOTES......Page 194
THE GENERAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY......Page 196
COSMIC TIME......Page 197
PARALLEL TIME-SERIES......Page 200
TREE TIME......Page 201
INTERSECTING TIME......Page 203
SPLITTING TIME......Page 205
CLOSED TIME......Page 206
A CYCLICAL HISTORY IN LINEAR TIME......Page 208
A REVERSING HISTORY IN LINEAR TIME......Page 210
TIME-TRAVEL INTO THE PAST......Page 212
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......Page 218
STUDY QUESTIONS......Page 220
FURTHER READING......Page 221
Index......Page 223
