Journal articleprimarychallengesVerified

The Unreality of Time

J. Ellis McTaggart · 1908 · Mind, 17(68), 457-474

Spiritual Evidence Map/Last updated May 10, 2026/Claims v1.0.0-provisional/Sources v1.0.0/Scores provisional

Summary

Classic philosophical argument that the ordinary A-series of past, present, and future is contradictory, often used as a starting point for debates over whether time is ultimately real.

Why it matters here

Gives the time-exists page a canonical anti-realist anchor rather than treating the question as only a physics issue.

Linked claims

Evidence score 7/10

Does time exist?

Umbrella entry for the time question. Time, in some real sense, undeniably organises both experience and physics. Whether it is fundamental, emergent, or illusory is what's actually contested.

Related evidence hubs

Topic hub

Reality & Time

Physics-adjacent worldviews — block universe, many-worlds, simulation, free will.

Evidence pillar

Reality & time models

Block universe, presentism, eternalism, emergent time.

Evidence pillar

Physics-adjacent worldview theories

Many-worlds, simulation, mathematical universe.