curiosity1 said:
TL;DR Summary: Which theory of time is the most evidence-based?
Time and space as separate categories are a relic from the time before the theory of relativity.
These are philosophical questions from 120 years ago. Now they don't make sense because space and time are not basic concepts.
You should define more precisely what it means that something exists? For example time , space, point...?
A similar question is whether there is a coordinate system or is it "simply constructs of human consciousness". Everything is "simply constructs of human consciousness" if you look at it from that angle.
In my humble opinion, it is better to look at everything as a scientific model.
Walking around the city, you will never see the coordinate system. The coordinate system exists in the mathematical-physical model, but not in reality.
Is there a mathematical point (something that has neither length nor height nor width)? It is a question of the philosophy of science, not a question of science itself.
curiosity1 said:
[*]Presentism: This theory posits that only the present moment is real, and the past and future are simply constructs of human consciousness. According to presentism, the past no longer exists, and the future has not yet occurred.
But also the present moment which alone exists has a duration of zero. Just like it doesn't exist :-)
So nothing of time exists.
curiosity1 said:
[*]Eternalism/Block Universe Theory: This theory suggests that all moments in time, past, present, and future, exist simultaneously. Time is viewed as a sort of block, where every event that has ever occurred or will occur already exists, similar to how all the frames of a movie exist on a film strip.
"exist simultaneously" is defined over time. Circular thinking
curiosity1 said:
[*]Growing Block Universe: This theory is similar to the block universe theory but adds the idea that time is "growing" or expanding as new events come into existence. The past and present exist, but the future does not yet exist.
"growing" or expanding in what?
Undefined ?
curiosity1 said:
[*]The Block Time Theory: A variant of eternalism, this theory suggests that time is a dimension similar to space, and just as we can move through space in any direction, we can also move through time.
This is something true. We always move through time at the rate of one second per second :-)
curiosity1 said:
[*]Transactional Interpretation: In quantum mechanics, this theory suggests that the past, present, and future are all interconnected, and events in the future can influence events in the past.
This is only one interpretation, but then even deeper philosophical questions are opened, what are the causes and what are the effects in physical experiments.
That is a question for the philosophy of quantum mechanics
curiosity1 said:
Which theory of time is the most evidence-based?
The basic term is the speed of light (the speed of any electro-magnetic wave and also gravitational waves)
Experimental evidence began in 1887 with
Michelson–Morley experiment
Theoretically with
Maxwell's equations
Using the constant speed of light, space-time is defined as a unique coordinate system.