VCE Philosophy: Metaphysics - On Time & Space

“How much time do we have left?”

“That depends on how you understand the Theory of Time!”

The study of the Philosophy of Time, and by extension, Space, is abstract and very complex. So, the Unit 1 Mac.Rob philosophers invited Professors Jack Reynolds and Professor Patrick Stokes from Deakin University to join our classroom discussions to unravel the time and space conundrum.

It was reassuring to know that Professor Stokes' wife and sister both attended Mac.Rob and our guests were very keen to hear the newest philosophers' viewpoints on different theories of time. Once we differentiated between living time and the theory of time, students welcomed the Professor’s viewpoints of McTaggart’s A-series & B-series Arguments to arrive at the position that time is illusory. However, the Growing-Block Theory and Spotlight Theory moved into the views of accepted theories of many physicists.

The thought experiment around the choice of memory and duration of time in regards to a medical operation opened up an intense discussion around how time is experienced if we had a choice. But, the highlight was the introduction of Time Travel and whether science fiction is representing time in a coherent way to accept that time travel may one day be possible.

The Professors enjoyed the quick banter as students fired many questions around the possibility of Time Travel. Both visitors were impressed with the philosophical discussions of our students; however, we all agreed that St Augustine was right, ‘What then is time? I know well enough what it is, provided that nobody asks me: but if I am asked what it is and try to explain it, I am baffled.’ Now that time has run out, Unit 1 Philosophers are now looking forward to critiquing Descartes to consider, ‘Cogito ergo sum.’

Ms. Deborah Cordingley | VCE Philosophy Teacher