Abstract

Formulates the central claim to be defended in the book, which is a conjunction of two theses. First, tenseless concepts and facts are more basic than tensed concepts and facts. Second, the world is dynamic: while the past and the present are real, the future is not. The chapter also outlines the role of causation on this account: the direction of time is defined in terms of the direction of causation, and causation can exist only in a dynamic world.