McTaggart’s “Proof”

Abstract

J. E. McTaggart has tried to prove that concepts we use to describe time involve contradiction, therefore time is unreal. Time essentially involves change, but change can only be explained in terms of events being past, present and future. Since tense determinations and the flow time involve contradiction, these concepts cannot describe reality. In the article some basic concepts of the contemporary philosophy of time are introduced (“A-series”, “B-series”) and basic positions explained. Every step in the proof is examined in detail and the validity of the proof is defended.