Abstract

Most philosophical writings on time, according to David Cockburn, attempt to give a metaphysical account of its real nature, and, in the light of that, examine, and perhaps sit in judgement upon, our usual emotional responses to temporal facts, e.g. that some evil is far in the past, or is occurring now, or is going to occur. David Cockburn, in contrast, regards it as essential to the meaning of assertions regarding the pastness, futurity, presentness, of things or events that they give the reasons they do for acting and feeling in certain ways.