Eternalism (philosophy of time)
The term block universe - also called block time, block view or eternalism - refers to a particular view within the philosophy of time that belongs to that part of theoretical philosophy, which describes the general structures of reality, ontology.
Anyone who accepts a block universe, each considered the past, present and future as equally real and analogous to spatially remote locations that are not bound even if their distance is less than the real for its own current position. Antitheses are presenteeism (only things present exists) and possibilism (only present and the past really exist, the future is still open in the sense that different options are possible ).
The origin of the concept in the modern sense is associated with a description of spacetime as (short SRT) suggested by the Special Theory of Relativity, particularly in view of Minkowski. The space-time appears this pictorially as a four-dimensional " block " - not as a three-dimensional space, which absolutely moves on the time axis. The latter fact seems consistent only with a relation of simultaneity of events, the absolute in the sense of independence of perspectives: is (more precisely, different inertial frames ). However, the SRT seems incompatible with such absolute simultaneity relation.
In the conventional to the elapse of time this concept is divided into three regions: the "past", the "present " and " future". The past is commonly regarded as inviolable constant, whereas the future does not yet appear completely defined as. With the elapse of time on the one hand the actual present becomes the past, while on the other hand, a part of the future is the new present. About this "movement" which, the past "behind" moves inwards leaving, to the future, the passage of time is defined. The representative of a block universe interpretation, however, generally support SRT so that there is no way to put a uniquely determined point in time for yourself and objectively identify (regardless of one's own perspective ) as a present. An observer is rather himself always regarded as subjectively present. The concept of the lapse of time can be regarded as inherently inconsistent, for example, by the issue of the speed of the lapse is raised.
The block time is to avoid such problems by viewing all points of time as equally possible, ontologically real starting points of perspectives. It rejects neither the past nor the future, but defines them as directions - not as absolute states.
Since each observer at a given time can only know the events that are in relative to his past, in this case the subjective illusion of the lapse of time is maintained. The asymmetry itself, not only to remind the past, the future, and other irreversible events that simply run in a temporal direction (such as the increase of entropy), serves as an explanation for why most people think, give it a directionality processes in the period ( " time arrow "). In reality, however, is not " passing " time; the ticking of a clock measures the distance events as well as measure the markings of a tape measure distances between locations.
Representative of a block universe seem committed to the thesis that all events of the future are as immutable as those of the past and present, so a determinism. Free will would therefore be a fiction insofar as no alternatives for the future could and therefore no freedom of choice.
Numerous classical theologians of the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam teach that God is outside of time and his actions so not. Among our terms of earlier and later fall, especially not God's act of creation, or the act of his all-encompassing knowledge or his providence Every now and then an attempt was made to explain this traditional doctrine by resorting to the modern concept of the block universe: God takes the world overall as a block true, but we unfolded in earlier and later.