Is the passage of time an illusion? A philosopher's view

This talk concentrates on the philosophical problems and conundrums raised by this most fundamental aspect of ordinary experience.

Experience tells us that time is very different from space: we don ’t all share the same place, but we do all share the same time; we can move around in space in a variety of directions, or stay put, as we choose, but move inexorably through time, and only in one direction. Above all, unlike space, time passes. Or does it?

Numerous philosophers have denied the reality of the passage of time, arguing that it leads to insoluble paradoxes. Physicists too have argued that time’s passage is merely apparent, but this talk concentrates on the philosophical problems and conundrums raised by this most fundamental aspect of ordinary experience. It also asks: if time does not pass,why do we experience it as passing? Do we really all occupy the same moment in time? If not, why do we think we do? And if you are not carried along by the river of time, are you the same person from one moment to the next?

This event is in association with Oxford University Press.

Ticket price includes a glass on wine after the event and an opportunity to buy Robin’s book Travels in four dimensions:the enigmas of space and time.

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