- #71
hypnagogue
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 2,285
- 2
The future does not exist according to whom? It appears as if it doesn't exist yet-- this is a view of time made from within time. Are we really in some priveleged position to judge what does and does not exist, or is our view relative to our particular viewpoint?
In any case, time isn't an absolute. Two events that appear to occur simultaneously to one observor can appear to occur sequentially to another. So for one observor, 'the future' is happening right now, and for the other it is yet to happen. If the latter says that it doesn't exist, he'll get a funny look from the former. More generally, if we refuse to grant priveleged status to any particular reference frame, then there is no absolute sense in which the future doesn't exist.
In any case, time isn't an absolute. Two events that appear to occur simultaneously to one observor can appear to occur sequentially to another. So for one observor, 'the future' is happening right now, and for the other it is yet to happen. If the latter says that it doesn't exist, he'll get a funny look from the former. More generally, if we refuse to grant priveleged status to any particular reference frame, then there is no absolute sense in which the future doesn't exist.