"The point at issue between the two theories [A and B theory] is whether 'time' really is, in some deep ontological sense, differentiated into past, present and future. ...Reichenbach and Whitrow propose that there is indeed such a type of event and this is the 'becoming', or 'coming into being' of factual states-of-affairs in the physical world. ...Whitrow expressed ..."The past is the determined, the present is the moment of 'becoming' when events become determined, and the future is as-yet undetermined. Although neither Reichenbach nor Whitrow developed their thesis at any length, the general purport of what they meant is clear: there is a basic chance element in nature, at least at the micro-level, and the moment of 'becoming', which they identify with 'the present', is marked by a tranisition from what is merely possible to what is factual. However... this important attempt to provide a physical basis for the A-theory is by no means immune from criticism."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Mathematicians from EnglandAcademics from the United KingdomCosmologistsAstronomers from EnglandHistorians of science
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
K. G. Denbigh, Three Concepts of Time (2012)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gerald_James_Whitrow
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Gerald James Whitrow
Gerald James Whitrow (9 June 1912 – 2 June 2000) or G. J. Whitrow, was a British mathematician, cosmologist and historian of science.
47 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Gerald James Whitrow →
Related Quotes
"[Time is not] a mysterious illusion of the intellect. ..It is an essential feature of the universe."
"Perhaps the first to approach the fourth dimension from the side of physics, was the Frenchman, Nicole Oresme, of the…"
"Although the peculiarly fundamental nature of time in relation to ourselves is evident as soon as we reflect that our…"
"Our conscious appreciation of the fact that one event follows another is of a different kind from our awareness of ei…"
"Whether the stars were all at the same distance, or whether they were scattered throughout infinite space, or whether…"
"Although the classic theoretical foundation of distance measurement in physics is the 'rigid rod', nearly all distanc…"
"Space-time is curved in the neighborhood of material masses, but it is not clear whether the presence of matter cause…"
"Galileo had raised the concepts of space and time to the status of fundamental categories by directing attention to t…"
"Let us suppose that an explosion occurs on Mars, which is observed by an astronomer on earth, who records the instant…"
"Our idea of the universe as a whole remains a product of the imagination."