现在主义与使真者问题

Presentism and The Truthmaking Challenge

关于过去与未来的存在问题在对时间和世界的理解中占据核心位置。现在主义对此问题的回答强调现在这一时刻的特殊地位:只有位于现在时刻的东西存在。现在主义面临使真者问题的严峻挑战,当下的实在很难提供足够的本体论资源来来完成对过去时态真理的使真任务。现在主义对此有两种可能的回应方式:试图在当下的实在中寻找相应的本体论资源,或者否认存在任何过去时态真理。其中,前者会导致解释上的对称问题;而后者并不一定会导致不可接受的怀疑论后果,从而成为现在主义的一种严肃选项。

The ontological question of the existence of the past and future occupies a key position in the understanding of time and our world.The presentist answer to this question is that only present things exist.Presentism is one of the most popular views in current ontological research.However,it faces the challenge of the so-called truthmaking problem.Supposing that the truthmaking principle is true,presentists have only two possible ways out of this problem:they can try to locate truthmakers for the truths of the past in the present moment,or deny there is any truth of the past at all.The first way leads to an explanatory symmetry,and the second can be a serious option for the presentists.