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Work #850 · Late

Past, Present and Future

Arthur N. Prior
1967 · English
Philosophical-logical treatise · Mid-twentieth-century philosophical logic / philosophy of time

Prior's 1967 founding work of modern tense logic — formal logic of time-indexed propositions

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute Past, Present and Future (Late)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Both
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Theistic
Observer · Moral Authority Reason
Observer · Theological Method —
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Discrete

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

⧖

Time

Past, Present and Future

The presentist time — only the present is real.

✦

Space

Past, Present and Future

The space underlying tensed propositions.

◉

Matter

Past, Present and Future

Present material reality.

◎

Observer

Past, Present and Future

The present reasoner reasoning tensedly.

⚡

Energy

Past, Present and Future

Energies of present action.

⧉

Information

Past, Present and Future

Tense-logical operators P, F, H, G.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

Past, Present and Future

Prior's Past, Present and Future: founding work of modern tense logic; foundational for philosophy of time and computer-scientific temporal logic.