Thomas Krehbiel

Greg Krehbiel wondered: Is the past real? That's something I've pondered from time to time myself. I'm certainly not an expert on this subject and have read very little about it, but it seems that an argument could be made that only "now" exists. You might think that the past must exist because we can see things now that we know existed in the past (my wife gives an example of a rock from prehistoric times), but I don't know if that's enough proof. It only proves that the rock existed, but it doesn't really prove that "the past" exists. "The past" certainly doesn't exist "now," because that would mean the young rock and the old rock exist simultaneously.  I guess this viewpoint makes me a Presentist (as opposed to an Eternalist). It's an interesting topic to think about, especially in how it relates to free will and religion, but after a while it makes my head hurt. :)