Great Throughts Treasury
This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.
John "J. M. E." McTaggart. born John McTaggart Ellis
British Idealist Metaphysician, Lecturer in Philosophy, noted author of a paradox designed to prove the unreality of time
"Past, present and future are incompatible determinations. Every event must be one or the other, but no event can be more than one. If I say that any event is past, that implies that it is neither present nor future, and so with the others. And this exclusiveness is essential to change, and therefore to time. For the only change we can get is from future to present, and from present to past. The characteristics, therefore, are incompatible. But every event has them all. If M is past, it has been present and future. If it is future, it will be present and past. If it is present, it has been future and will be past. thus all the three characteristics belong to each event. How is this consistent with their being incompatible?"
"I believe that nothing that exists can be temporal, and that therefore time is unreal."
"A man is said to act freely when he acts according to the ultimate ideal of his nature."