Spatialization of Time and Temporalization of Space: A Critical Discourse on McTaggart’s Theory of the Inexistence of Time

Abstract

This paper critically structures the debate that arose on McTaggart thesis of the inexistence of time. The debate shows that the question about what time is, is a very complex one, which has, at present, defiled a generally acceptable answer. Of course, it familiarly and obviously looks to us as there is time, but upon further probe, it is found out we no longer know that which we think we were initially sure of. In other words, we believe each event happens in time, but of what time consists, its properties and nature, the paper shows that we do not have any sufficient ground as a support for our claim. Furthermore, the paper shows that for any meaningful and clearer progress to be made on the question of the nature of time, some other concepts such as space, causation, present, past, future, earlier than, later than, etc, have to be sufficiently explained. All of these raise the problem of the relationship between our language (mathematical, logical, geometrical and grammatical) and the question of time on one hand and the relationship between our language and the supposed mental phenomena, on the other. It is shown that there is the possibility of the fact that the problem is that of a certain technical or conceptual deficiency in our language.

Key Words: Spatialisation, Temporalisation, Space, Aseries, B-series.