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TheSpeciousPresent

theshortdurationofwhichweare
immediatelyandincessantlysensible
James

Consciousness

Time

Specious
Present

= time as it most directly


and distinctively manifests in
experience

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

So: our direct perceptual awareness cant


be confined to a durationless instant

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)

Were not directly


aware of what we
experienced
a minute ago
Or even
a few seconds!

(Partially)plausiblediagnosis:
James: the practically cognized
present is no knife-edge, but a
saddleback

Vivid shortterm memories

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

succession of tones in real time

RetentionalistModel:fullglory

succession of tones in real time

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

Volkmann has expressed the


matter admirably: if A and B
are to be represented as
occurring in succession they
must be simultaneously
represented

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

No matter: it still may be possible


for momentary experience to have
apparent temporal depth

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

Experiential (extensive) time

Ordinary (transition) time

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

Parts spread across time AND


experienced together as a
succession

Diachroniccoconsciousness=directly
experiencedsuccession/persistence

Doesnt mean:
hearing A and
simultaneously
hearing B (i.e.before
it has occurred!)

Does mean: directly


hearing A-beingfollowed-by-B

Diachroniccoconsciousness:

In consciousness together, but as a


succession (not simultaneously =
retentional model)

Overlapmodel:fromblocksto
streams
Stream of consciousness

Overlap:no(unwanted)duplications
SP1
SP2
SP3

D
D

E
E

Overlapping SPs possess common


parts (D in SP1 = D in SP2, etc)

Whatexplainstheapparent
directionofexperience?
Theasymmetric
Theintrinsiccharacter
characterofdiachronic
ofphenomenal
coconsciousness
contents?
relationship?

More economical option

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

Modes are intelligible in


Retentionalist Model
B

succession of tones in real time


3 numerically distinct experiences varying properties not a problem

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

Fringe feelings &


images

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

But unified: experienced together

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

ALL SPATIAL PARTS


EXPERIENCED
TOGETHER

If we
reject

then:

point of
awareness

Unity a product of interexperiential relations (in


Jamesian style)

IF CO-CONSCIOUSESS
CAN CROSS
SPACE, WHY NOT TIME?
specious present

WhySUT?
3nd motivation

Tacit commitment to presentism?

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)

4-d stream of experience

So:
SUT:lessthanwhollycompelling
Hence:overlaptheoryremainsaliveoption
maybethebetteroption(assumingwewanta
SPatall)

SeanKellys(main)objections
toExtensionalism?

1. how can we be aware


of whats no longer
happening?
awareness
No: only a
diachronic coconsciousness
relation

past

future

(not as problematic as)

2. Cant explain how


successive
specious presents
are related

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:

non-existence of past & future


short-span of diachronic
co-consciousness

looks compatible with


4-d worldview

Butwhataboutflow?Doesnt
experiencehaveafeltdirection?
Yes but:
phenomenal flow =
intrinsic feature of
experience

Doesnt require
universal
becoming/annihilation

No more (or less) a


problem for
materialism than
phenomenal colour

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

Streams of experience bridge


universe-phases

If dualism: unified streams


sustained by disunified worldphases - maybe possible?

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?

Its just too thin


to contain
anything!

No unity between
successive
presents

Amiddleway:cosmosconsistsof
OverlappingExtendedPresents
absolute
becomings

C
absolute
annihilations

D
D

E
E

NO PAST + UNITY + (ENOUGH) BREADTH (+


explanation of why temporal breadth of experience is what
it is .)

END

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