Why is Presentism Intuitive?

Graziani, Ernesto

doi:10.1515/mp-2022-0011

Metaphysica

2023

DOI: 10.1515/mp-2022-0011

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Why is Presentism Intuitive?

Ernesto Graziani

Abstract: Presentism is, roughly, the ontological view that only the present exists. Among the philosophers engaged in the metaphysics of time there is wide agreement that presentism is intuitive (or commonsensical) and that its intuitiveness counts as evidence in its favour. My contribution has two purposes: first, defending the view that presentism is intuitive from some recent criticisms; second, putting forth a genealogical (or debunking) argument aimed at depriving presentism’s intuitiveness of the evidential value… Show more

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2024

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“…35-36),McKinnon (2003, pp. 305-307),Markosian (2004, p. 48), De Clercq (2006, p. 386), Tallant (2009 andGraziani (2023).…”

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confidence: 99%

If presentism is false, then I don’t exist. On common-sense presentism

Guillon

2024

Synthese

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For many presentist philosophers, e.g. Zimmerman (Contemp Debates Metaphys 10:211–225, 2008), a central motivation in favour of presentism is that it is supposed to be part of common sense. But the fact that common-sense intuitions are indeed presentist is usually taken for granted (and sometimes also conceded by eternalists). As has been shown in other domains of philosophy (e.g. free will), we should be careful when attributing some supposed intuitions to common sense, and Torrengo (Phenomenology and Mind 12: 50–55, 2017) and Le Bihan (Igitur-Arguments Philos 9(1):1–23, 2018) have legitimately raised doubts about the assumption that common sense is presentist. In this paper, I take up this challenge and try to show that our common-sense intuitions do imply presentism. More precisely, the intuitions that I take to imply presentism are fundamental intuitions about our selves as conscious beings. The upshot is that presentism is so much embedded within our conception of our selves that if presentism is false, then I don’t exist!

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“…35-36),McKinnon (2003, pp. 305-307),Markosian (2004, p. 48), De Clercq (2006, p. 386), Tallant (2009 andGraziani (2023).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

If presentism is false, then I don’t exist. On common-sense presentism

Guillon

2024

Synthese

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Why is Presentism Intuitive?

Cited by 1 publication

References 43 publications

If presentism is false, then I don’t exist. On common-sense presentism

If presentism is false, then I don’t exist. On common-sense presentism

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