The Direction of Time

The aim of this essay is to introduce philosophers of science to some recent philosophical discussions of the nature and origin of the direction of time. The essay is organized around books by Hans Reichenbach, Paul Horwich, and Huw Price. I outline their major arguments and treat certain critical points in detail. I speculate at the end about the ways in which the subject may continue to develop and in which it may connect with other areas of philosophy.

Epistemology · Philosophy of science · Subject (documents) · Computer Science · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Quantum Mechanics and Applications · Science and Climate Studies

• Two Views on Time Reversal

  Open Access•Jill North•Philosophy of Science•2008

  Incluir item

• Locating Temporal Passage in a Block World

  Open Access•Brigitte C Everett, Brigitte Everett et al.•Ergo an Open Access Journal of…•2023

  Incluir item

• Against Passage Illusionism

  Open Access•Kristie Miller•Ergo an Open Access Journal of…•2023

  Incluir item

• Time’s Direction and Orthodox Quantum Mechanics

  Open Access•Cristian López•Journal for General Philosophy of…•2022

  Incluir item

• Time reversal operations, representations of the Lorentz group, and the direction of time

  Open Access•Frank Arntzenius•Studies in History and Philosophy…•2004

  Incluir item

• The metaphysical underdetermination of time-reversal invariance

  Open Access•Cristian López, Abbassia Demmouche et al.•Synthese•2023

  Incluir item

• Causality as a theoretical concept

  Open Access•Gerhard Schurz, Alexander Gebharter•Synthese•2016

  Incluir item

• Exploring people’s beliefs about the experience of time

  Open Access•Jack Shardlow, Ruth Lee et al.•Synthese•2021

  Incluir item

• How to tell causes from effects

  Open Access•Martin Carrier•Studies in History and Philosophy…•2003

  Incluir item

• A challenge for experiential passage realism

  Open Access•Kristie Miller•Philosophical Studies•2025

  Incluir item

• Temporal dynamism and the persisting stable self

  Open Access•Andrew J Latham, Kristie Miller et al.•The Philosophical Quarterly•2025

  Incluir item

• Physics and Chance

  Open Access•Lawrence Sklar•Physics and Chance•1993

  Incluir item

• A Brief History of Time

  Stephen W Hawking, James L Anderson•Physics Today•1988

  Incluir item

• I.—the Unreality of Time

  J Ellis McTaggart•Mind•1908

  Incluir item

• The Charybdis of realism

  Open Access•Bas C Van Fraassen•Synthese•1982

  Incluir item

• Time, quantum mechanics, and decoherence

  Open Access•Simon Saunders•Synthese•1995

  Incluir item

• Physics and common causes

  Open Access•Frank Arntzenius•Synthese•1990

  Incluir item

• Two faces of Maxwell's demon reveal the nature of irreversibility

  Open Access•John D Collier•Studies in History and Philosophy…•1990

  Incluir item

• Common Cause Explanation

  Open Access•Elliott Sober•Philosophy of Science•1984

  Incluir item

• On Relativity Theory and Openness of the Future

  Open Access•H Stein•Philosophy of Science•1991

  Incluir item

• An Attempt to Add a Little Direction to “The Problem of the Direction of Time”

  Open Access•John Earman•Philosophy of Science•1974

  Incluir item

• A Defense of McTaggart's Proof of the Unreality of Time

  Michael Dummett•The Philosophical Review•1960

  Incluir item

• Asymmetries in Time

  Richard Healey, Paul Horwich•The Philosophical Review•1991

  Incluir item

• Philosophical Problems of Space and Time

  V F Lenzen, Adolph Grunbaum•Philosophy and Phenomenological…•1975

  Incluir item

• Towards a General Theory of Reduction. Part I

  Open Access•C A Hooker•Dialogue•1981

  Incluir item

• Spatial and Temporal Analogies and the Concept of Identity

  Richard Taylor, Richard D Taylor•The Journal of Philosophy•1955

  Incluir item

• Bringing About the Past

  Michael Dummett•The Philosophical Review•1964

  Incluir item

• The Metaphysics of Time Reversal

  Craig Callender•The British Journal for the…•1995

  Incluir item

• Is Classical Mechanics Time Reversal Invariant

  Steven F Savitt•The British Journal for the…•1994

  Incluir item

• Is Classical Mechanics Really Time-reversible and Deterministic

  Keith Hutchison, Keith A Hutchison•The British Journal for the…•1993

  Incluir item

• Is Entropy Relevant to the Asymmetry Between Retrodiction and Prediction

  Martin Barrett, Elliott Sober•The British Journal for the…•1992

  Incluir item

• The Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and the Approach to Thermodynamic Equilibrium

  David Z Albert•The British Journal for the…•1994

  Incluir item

• Differing Criteria for Temporal Symmetry

  Keith Hutchison, Keith A Hutchison•The British Journal for the…•1995

  Incluir item