Hegel’s Theory of Time

While sharing some features in common with presentist accounts of time, Hegel’s theory of time fundamentally offers an alternative to standard A-Theories, B-Theories, and C-Theories of time. While compatible with Kantian ideality of time on the one hand and spacetime in the theory of general relativ...

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Main Author: Gentry Gerad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2024-12-01
Series:Open Philosophy
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2024-0053
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author Gentry Gerad
author_facet Gentry Gerad
author_sort Gentry Gerad
collection DOAJ
description While sharing some features in common with presentist accounts of time, Hegel’s theory of time fundamentally offers an alternative to standard A-Theories, B-Theories, and C-Theories of time. While compatible with Kantian ideality of time on the one hand and spacetime in the theory of general relativity on the other, Hegel’s theory of time reaches beyond both a transcendental form of sensibility on the one hand and a paradigm for material motion in physics, on the other. Further, while Hegel’s theory of time provides reason to reject such theories of time as the Moving Spotlight, Growing and Shrinking Block, and a range of others, my interest here is in making comprehensible Hegel’s theory of time itself. I will argue that according to Hegel’s theory, the past and the future exist as constitutive of the now, and the now is not separable from space, but rather is itself spatial becoming. Stemming from his underlying logic of actuality and becoming, Hegel espouses the view that history (the past) and future possibility are present and constitutive of the “now.” Understanding his theory of time will also help shed some light on a systematic feature found across his philosophy of nature and mind. Additionally, while his theory presents an elegant notion of time within his philosophy, it also offers an intuitive and productive solution for a traditional identity problem of concrete particulars across time and intervenes in contemporary philosophy of time.
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spelling doaj-art-e22dda72f77447d68ac4b981eac538432025-08-20T02:51:46ZengDe GruyterOpen Philosophy2543-88752024-12-0171253510.1515/opphil-2024-0053Hegel’s Theory of TimeGentry Gerad0Department of Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, GermanyWhile sharing some features in common with presentist accounts of time, Hegel’s theory of time fundamentally offers an alternative to standard A-Theories, B-Theories, and C-Theories of time. While compatible with Kantian ideality of time on the one hand and spacetime in the theory of general relativity on the other, Hegel’s theory of time reaches beyond both a transcendental form of sensibility on the one hand and a paradigm for material motion in physics, on the other. Further, while Hegel’s theory of time provides reason to reject such theories of time as the Moving Spotlight, Growing and Shrinking Block, and a range of others, my interest here is in making comprehensible Hegel’s theory of time itself. I will argue that according to Hegel’s theory, the past and the future exist as constitutive of the now, and the now is not separable from space, but rather is itself spatial becoming. Stemming from his underlying logic of actuality and becoming, Hegel espouses the view that history (the past) and future possibility are present and constitutive of the “now.” Understanding his theory of time will also help shed some light on a systematic feature found across his philosophy of nature and mind. Additionally, while his theory presents an elegant notion of time within his philosophy, it also offers an intuitive and productive solution for a traditional identity problem of concrete particulars across time and intervenes in contemporary philosophy of time.https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2024-0053philosophy of timenaturebecomingpotentialitypersistenceidentity
spellingShingle Gentry Gerad
Hegel’s Theory of Time
Open Philosophy
philosophy of time
nature
becoming
potentiality
persistence
identity
title Hegel’s Theory of Time
title_full Hegel’s Theory of Time
title_fullStr Hegel’s Theory of Time
title_full_unstemmed Hegel’s Theory of Time
title_short Hegel’s Theory of Time
title_sort hegel s theory of time
topic philosophy of time
nature
becoming
potentiality
persistence
identity
url https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2024-0053
work_keys_str_mv AT gentrygerad hegelstheoryoftime