The Structure of Time (Routledge Library Editions: Philosophy of Time) - Hardcover

Newton-Smith, W. H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1138394017 ISBN 13: 9781138394018

Publisher: Routledge, 2018

Synopsis

Originally published in 1980. What is time? How is its structure determined? The enduring controversy about the nature and structure of time has traditionally been a diametrical argument between those who see time as a container into which events are placed, and those for whom time cannot exist without events. This controversy between the absolutist and the relativist theories of time is a central theme of this study. The author's impressive arguments provide grounds for rejecting both these theories, firstly by establishing that ‘empty’ time is possible, and secondly by showing, through a discussion of the structure of time which involves considering whether time might be cyclical, branching, beginning or non-beginning, that the absolutist theory of time is untenable. This book then advances two new theories, and succeeds in shifting the traditional debate about time to a consideration of time as a theoretical structure and as a theoretical framework.

About this title

About the Author

W. H. Newton-Smith

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1138394017
• ISBN 13: 9781138394018
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 276