Of Time and Eternity

Abstract

Since phenomenal time is merely one among the several categories of qualia, there might seem to be no more call for a separate chapter on time than for one on, say, place or color. But there are two reasons why time requires special attention. In the first place, ordinary language deals with time by means of special devices that are used and understood with the greatest facility in everyday discourse but misused and misinterpreted with nearly as much facility in most philosophical discourse. Before we can decide with any confidence what are the peculiar problems about time, or whether there are any, we shall have to take precautions against these linguistic pitfalls. In the second place, when linguistic confusions have been cleared away, we shall find that while many supposed problems disappear, there remains indeed one rather important special fact about time.