The Roots of Hypertime
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21291704 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Matyáš Moravec (0000-0001-8477-6065, 1596 Queen’s University Belfast Queen’s University Belfast School of History, Anthropology Philosophy and Politics 25 University Square Belfast UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 108 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 173-202 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-9101 • E-ISSN: 0943-3988 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/agph-2025-0074 |
| OpenAlex | W4414548179 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 41 |
Hypertime is a theory that postulates that time has two or more dimensions. Much of the groundwork underlying current theories of hypertime in analytic philosophy is generally attributed to discussions about time travel in the second half of the twentieth century. This paper demonstrates that the historical roots of hypertime extend much further back. Drawing on recently uncovered archival documents, I demonstrate that sophisticated theories of multi-dimensional time were developed by philosophers decades before the interest in time travel took off. These pioneers of hypertime were working on psychical research: the study of psychical phenomena such as telepathy or ghosts, widely popular at the turn of the twentieth century. They developed multi-dimensional time as a tool to resolve various problems with precognition, the purported ability to see the future. I will conclude by indicating the pitfalls of neglecting this important chapter in the history of the philosophy of time
Analytic philosophy · Period (music) · Telepathy · Time travel · Therapeutic Uses of Natural Elements
Taking time seriously
I.—the Unreality of Time
The Myth of Disenchantment
Leaving the Past Alone
McTaggart, Schlesinger, and the Two-Dimensional Time Hypothesis
Time, and Time Again
Bringing About the Past
Mr Dobbs' Two-Dimensional Theory of Time
The Relation Between the Time of Psychology and the Time of Physics Part I
A Note on Multi-Dimensional Time
The Relation Between the Time of Psychology and the Time of Physics Part Ii
Time of Psychology and of Physics
| Highly cited | No |
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