McTaggart's Paradox

“J. M. E. McTaggart is well known for distinguishing two ways of conceptualizing time: first, as a series of positions ordered by ‘past’, ‘present’, and ‘future’, which he calls the A-series; secondly, as a series of positions ordered by ‘earlier than’, ‘later than’, and ‘simultaneous with’, which he calls the B-series.”

“He argues that the A-series is both essential to time and contradictory, so time cannot exist.”

“This argument holds an interesting place in the philosophical catalogue, as it is treated with the utmost respect and seriousness by some (e.g. Michael Dummett, Paul Horwich, D. H. Mellor) but dismissed as sophomoric by others (e.g. C.D Broad, Theodore Sider, Dean Zimmerman).”

“Perhaps more interestingly, pretty much every philosophy of time is described as either an ‘A-theory’, a ‘B-theory’, or some combination thereof. His terminology remains ubiquitous.”

“In this book, R. D. Ingthorsson takes us on a thoughtful, well-researched, and enlightening journey through McTaggart’s views on the nature of time, arguing that they can only be properly understood in relation to his wider metaphysical system.”

“In particular, Ingthorsson argues that the huge secondary literature spawned by McTaggart’s argument has fallen into stalemate because his views continue to be misunderstood (p. 2); accordingly, a systematic treatment promises philosophical progress (p. 5).”