The Tenseless Theory of Time

E728248

philosophical theory position in philosophy of time theory of time view in metaphysics

The Tenseless Theory of Time is a philosophical view in the metaphysics of time which holds that all points in time—past, present, and future—are equally real, denying any objective flow or passage of time.

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All labels observed (4)

Label	Occurrences
B-theory of time	6
A-series and B-series theory of time	1
A-theory of time	1
The Tenseless Theory of Time canonical	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T8332767 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: The Tenseless Theory of Time
Context triple: [William Lane Craig, hasWritten, The Tenseless Theory of Time]

A. The Tensed Theory of Time
The Tensed Theory of Time is a philosophical work that defends an A-theoretic, dynamic view of time in which temporal becoming and the distinction between past, present, and future are objectively real.
B. The Direction of Time
The Direction of Time is a seminal philosophical work by Hans Reichenbach that analyzes the nature and asymmetry of time, especially in relation to causality and thermodynamics.
C. Nueva refutación del tiempo
"Nueva refutación del tiempo" is an influential philosophical essay by Jorge Luis Borges that questions the reality of time through paradoxes, metaphysical argument, and literary references.
D. God, Time, and the Metaphysics of Relativity
God, Time, and the Metaphysics of Relativity is a philosophical and theological work that examines how modern physics—especially the theory of relativity—bears on the nature of time, divine eternity, and God’s relationship to the temporal world.
E. Time And Relative Dimension In Space
Time And Relative Dimension In Space is the full name of the Doctor Who franchise’s iconic time-traveling spacecraft and time machine, commonly known by its acronym TARDIS.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: The Tenseless Theory of Time
Target entity description: The Tenseless Theory of Time is a philosophical view in the metaphysics of time which holds that all points in time—past, present, and future—are equally real, denying any objective flow or passage of time.

A. The Tensed Theory of Time
The Tensed Theory of Time is a philosophical work that defends an A-theoretic, dynamic view of time in which temporal becoming and the distinction between past, present, and future are objectively real.
B. The Direction of Time
The Direction of Time is a seminal philosophical work by Hans Reichenbach that analyzes the nature and asymmetry of time, especially in relation to causality and thermodynamics.
C. Nueva refutación del tiempo
"Nueva refutación del tiempo" is an influential philosophical essay by Jorge Luis Borges that questions the reality of time through paradoxes, metaphysical argument, and literary references.
D. God, Time, and the Metaphysics of Relativity
God, Time, and the Metaphysics of Relativity is a philosophical and theological work that examines how modern physics—especially the theory of relativity—bears on the nature of time, divine eternity, and God’s relationship to the temporal world.
E. Time And Relative Dimension In Space
Time And Relative Dimension In Space is the full name of the Doctor Who franchise’s iconic time-traveling spacecraft and time machine, commonly known by its acronym TARDIS.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	philosophical theory ⓘ position in philosophy of time ⓘ theory of time ⓘ view in metaphysics ⓘ
affirms	B-relations of earlier than, later than, and simultaneous with ⓘ tenseless relations between events ⓘ
analyzedIn	analytic philosophy ⓘ metaphysics of time ⓘ
associatedWith	Adolf Grünbaum ⓘ D. H. Mellor ⓘ J. J. C. Smart ⓘ J. M. E. McTaggart ⓘ W. V. O. Quine ⓘ linked to: Willard Van Orman Quine
claimsAboutLanguage	tensed sentences can be reduced to tenseless ones plus indexical information ⓘ
claimsAboutOntology	all times exist equally in the temporal dimension ⓘ
compatibleWith	block universe view ⓘ eternalism ⓘ
contrastsWith	A-theory of time ⓘ Tensed Theory of Time ⓘ linked to: The Tensed Theory of Time growing block theory ⓘ presentism ⓘ
coreClaim	all points in time are equally real ⓘ past, present, and future events are equally real ⓘ temporal becoming is not an objective feature of reality ⓘ tensed facts do not exist fundamentally ⓘ there is no objective flow or passage of time ⓘ
denies	objective passage of time ⓘ objective presentness ⓘ ontological privilege of the present ⓘ
discussedIn	analytic metaphysics ⓘ philosophy of language ⓘ philosophy of physics ⓘ
hasAlternativeName	B-theory of time ⓘ linked to: The Tenseless Theory of Time block universe theory ⓘ static theory of time ⓘ tenseless view of time ⓘ
implies	change is represented as differences between events at different times ⓘ no time is metaphysically privileged as the present ⓘ
inspiredBy	McTaggart's B-series of time ⓘ
opposedBy	A-theorists of time ⓘ presentists ⓘ
relatedTo	eternalism about time ⓘ four-dimensionalism ⓘ special relativity ⓘ
usesTemporalRelations	earlier than ⓘ later than ⓘ simultaneous with ⓘ

How these facts were elicited