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theshortdurationofwhichweare
immediatelyandincessantlysensible
James
Consciousness
Time
Specious
Present
BUT: specious
present: particularly
controversial
(& baffling)
Does it
really
exist?
Isnt it
paradoxical?
Myaims:
Surveythemainoptions+commentonJames
position
Isolatesomekeyassumptionsmotivatingthe
differentpositions
DefendaneoJamesianconception
CountersomerecentcriticismsofSeanKellys
Exploreafewimplications
SpeciousPresent:whybelieve?
Primaryreason:tomakesenseof
ourexperience
changeitselfisoneofthethings
immediatelyexperienced.(James,WPE)
Somechanges=tooslowtobeperceived
(growthofoaktree).
Somearetoofast(speedingbullet).
Somearejustright:wedirectly
apprehendthem.
Seeing motion:
EnterSP:allthechangesinplaceofameteor
seemtobecontainedinthepresent.(Clay)
t1
1 sec
t2
Furtherdata:phenomenaldepth
Strictly
durationless tone
= hard to
conceive
Most simple
sensations have
some temporal
depth
Moregenerally:(typical)streams
ofconsciousnessarecontinuous
each phase is
experienced as
giving way to the next
Apuzzleaboutlength:acoreofabouta
dozenseconds,uptoaminute(James)
(Partially)plausiblediagnosis:
James: the practically cognized
present is no knife-edge, but a
saddleback
SP proper
(e.g. 1sec)
Vivid
anticipations
MakingsenseofSP:twomain
models
Retentionalist
immediateexperience
ofchangeoccursina
singlemoment
speciouspresentdoes
notreallyextend
throughtime
Extensionalist
immediateexperience
ofchangeisnot
confinedtoasingle
moment
speciouspresentis
spreadthroughtime
Extensionalism:1SP
specious present
C
real (clock) time
Extensionalism:streamsofSPs
succession of tones
Pulse version
(Whitehead,
Sprigge)
succession of tones
Overlap version
(Russell, Foster)
RetentionalistModel:1SP
more past
B
less past
C
D
E
clock time
B
Specious
present
RetentionalistModel:3SPs
B
RetentionalistModel:fullglory
James:Retentionalistor
Extentionalist??
SeanKelly(recentrecommendation):
Speciouspresent=
whatJameswas
committedto
James=Extensionalist
So:distinguish
speciouspresent
theoriesfrom
Retentionalist
approaches
James=Extensionalist?
duration-blocks
stream doctrine
experiences
not unified
(empiricism)
JamesStream
doctrine
experiences
unified by
soul-substance
(rationalism)
REJECT
Experienceunifiesitself,
synchronically&diachronically
viaconjunctiverelations
Conjunctiverelations:
Theconjunctiverelationthathasgiven
mosttroubletophilosophyistheco
conscioustransition,sotocallit,by
whichoneexperiencepassesintoanother
whenbothbelongtothesameself.
thissenseofcontinuityinthatmost
intimateofallconjunctiverelations
(WPE)
But:James=Retentionalist!
The knowledge of
some other part of
the stream, past or
future, near or
remote, is always
mixed in with
knowledge of the
present thing
JamesSPdiagram:pure
Retentionalism!
The feeling of past
time is a present
feeling
B
C
D
E
clock time
B
specious
present
Diagnosis:
InPrinciplesJamesispulledindifferent
directions:
Retentionalistwheninscientificmode
Extentionalistwhenin
phenomenological/philosophicalmode
TerminologicalRecommendation:
SpeciousPresentforanyaccountwhich
attributesapparenttemporaldepthto
experience
E.g.Retentionalism
E.g.Extensionalism
Kant
Retentionalism:
main advocates
Ward
James(/2)
Brentano
Husserl
Broad (L)
Lockwood
Dobbs
Retentionalism:motivation(i)
awareness
Past
Present
Avoid!
Future
Canwereallybedirectlyawareofwhatliesinthe
past?(Orthefuture?)Orisclairvoyance
commonplace?
Retentionalism:motivation(ii)
SimultaneousUnityThesis(SUT):
tobeapprehendedassuccessive,contentsmustbepresented
togetherinconsciousnessatthesamemoment
regardedasaxiomaticbyVolkmann,Ward,James,Husserl,Dobbs
SUT
entails
Retentionalism
ObjectionstoRetention1:
Why arent these
experienced as a chord,
rather than a
succession?
B
C
D
E
time
B
specious
present
Mainsolutions:
Broads
presentedness
Dobbs gravitas
implausible
Husserls
retentions
unclear
Objection2:phenomenologically
dubious
Are we really aware,
at each moment, of
a temporal spread
of content?
Im only
aware of
whats
happening
now!
Objection3:expensiveandexotic
Multiplies total quantity of experience in
universe
retentions
Exotic:Dobbs(&Broad):properlyviewed,
retentionmodel=twodimensionaltime
Specious
present
2Dtimeconstrual=fullyjustified
more past
B
less past
C
D
E
clock time
B
temporal
interval
2dtimeview:vulnerable
Phenomenal time
ordinary time
Or needless posit?
Surprising &
important discovery?
Objection4:Jamesinsightlost?
Stream:
fragmented
Stream: adjacent
phases UNIFIED
ExtensionalistAlternative?
TwoExtensionalisms
stream
Pulse version
stream
Overlap version
Fragments stream
succession of tones
BETTER: secures
continuity of
consciousness
succession of tones
OverlapModel:basicingredients
single
specious
present
= Jamesian
duration
block
Diachroniccoconsciousness=directly
experiencedsuccession/persistence
Doesnt mean:
hearing A and
simultaneously
hearing B (i.e.before
it has occurred!)
Diachroniccoconsciousness:
Overlapmodel:fromblocksto
streams
Stream of consciousness
Overlap:no(unwanted)duplications
SP1
SP2
SP3
D
D
E
E
Whatexplainstheapparent
directionofexperience?
Theasymmetric
Theintrinsiccharacter
characterofdiachronic
ofphenomenal
coconsciousness
contents?
relationship?
Durationblocksinherently
dynamic:
motion!
motion!
Overlapbutnotemporalmodes
(=austere)
Jamesian saddleback
more
past
just
past
we have a constant
feeling sui generis of
pastness, to which every
one of our experiences
falls prey James
present
qualities/intrinsic
properties
NotinOverlapModel:
present
C
SP1
D
D
SP2
just past
A single experience, at a particular time, cant have
different and incompatible intrinsic properties at that
time!
But:withdynamiccontents,temporal
modesarentneededtoaccountfor
perceivedpassage:
motion!
motion!
Extension+(certainforms)ofRetention
Realistic specious present
anticipations
sensory
core
short-term
memories
(echoes)
WasJamesanOverlap
Extensionalist?
Attimes.
lingeringsofthepastdroppingsuccessively
away,andtheincomingsofthefuturemaking
uptheloss
A B C D E F G
B C D E F G H
C D E F G H I
Extension/Overlapv.
Retentionalism
KEY ISSUE
Simultaneous Unity
Thesis
AcceptingOverlap=rejecting
SUT
Non-simultaneous
C
WhyacceptSUT?
James:
accommodate
Kantian insight
A metaphysical
assumption
A certain
conception of
time
James:Asuccessionoffeelings,inand
ofitself,isnotafeelingofsuccession
True! But:
C
D
E
C
Diachronic coconsciousness
C
Difference can be explained
in Extensional way also
2ndMotivation:aNeoRationalist
Assumption?
Eg:unityofconsciousnessrequires
somethingSIMPLE(nonextended,part
free)
soatemporalspreadofcontentmustbe
unifiedbyanonextendedexperiencing
Question:whybelievethis?
Antidote:arelevantspatial
analogue
PHENOMENAL EXPANSE
If we
reject
then:
point of
awareness
IF CO-CONSCIOUSESS
CAN CROSS
SPACE, WHY NOT TIME?
specious present
WhySUT?
3nd motivation
Ifrealityislikethis:
No past
No future
time
thenExtensionalismcantbetrue
Obviousobservation:
19thcentury:
Presentism(probably)
verycommon
21stcentury:less
common(among
philosophers)
4dworldviewmore
prevalent
4dperspective:extensionthrough
(space)time=unproblematic
4-d hunk of wood (perduring)
So:
SUT:lessthanwhollycompelling
Hence:overlaptheoryremainsaliveoption
maybethebetteroption(assumingwewanta
SPatall)
SeanKellys(main)objections
toExtensionalism?
past
future
Yes it can:
via overlap
3. Cant explain
perceived change
Yes it can: via
animated contents
within duration
blocks
motion!
motion!
OverlapTheory:implications
Anargument(sketch)fordualism:
Thereisnotemporalpassageinthephysical
world(McTaggart,relativity,etc.)
Thereistemporalpassageinexperience.
So:experienceisnonphysical.
But:OverlapTheorylookstobe
compatiblewith4dcosmology
2explanationsforlimitedspanofSP:
Butwhataboutflow?Doesnt
experiencehaveafeltdirection?
Yes but:
phenomenal flow =
intrinsic feature of
experience
Doesnt require
universal
becoming/annihilation
Objection:accountsofSPshould
bemetaphysicallyneutral.
Retentionalism=compatible
withallconceptionsoftime
OverlapTheoryisnt.
True!
Eternal block
Ret
Ext
Yes Yes
Yes ?
Growing Block
Yes No
Presentism
But:
WhymustSPtheories MightntSPprovide
empiricalevidencefor
bemetaphysically
thenatureoftimein
neutral?
ouruniverse?
WhyshouldntSP
offersomecluesasto
thenatureoftime?
Illustration:
JulianBarbour
QuantumGravity
WheelerDeWitt
equation
Universe=collection
of3dslicesexisting
inphase
space/platonia
Ourexperienceis
confinedto
momentarytime
capsules
Temporalunityof
world=illusion
Time
Capsules
= specious
presents
Platonia/Phase Space
However:
Ifconsciousness=
physical
Overlaptheoryrefutes
Barboursspeculation
stream of consciousness
Platonia/Phase Space
Finalspeculation:
SpeciousPresentasaguidetothe
cosmos:aJamesianUniverse?
Standardalternativestoeternal
4dcosmos
Broad-Tooley
Growing Block
Presentism
Whatsnottolikeaboutthe
GrowingBlock?
The PAST: its still
THERE!
Whatsnottolikeabout
Presentism?
No unity between
successive
presents
Amiddleway:cosmosconsistsof
OverlappingExtendedPresents
absolute
becomings
C
absolute
annihilations
D
D
E
E
END