PRESENTISM

Presentism is a theory in philosophy which says that the only events and objects which exist are those that exist in the present. So, only things which exist now, right now, really exist. It is a concept which focuses on the temporal present; that is, things existing in the present moment. It is not a theory concerned with whether these things exist somewhere else. So long as that object or event which is spatially distant from us exists in the present moment, then it exists. Presentism is the doctrine that maintains only the present is real. A presentist thinks that everything is present; more generally, that, necessarily it is always true that everything is (then) present. The past and the future do not exist-they are not real! That is why presentism is so mind-boggling because we are constantly thinking about the past and planning for the future. But according to this theory the past and future only exist subjectively- it is only the present which exists objectively (outside of our minds). When making statements about what exists, the truth of the statement depends on the context (when the statement was made). The present reality is the only reality. You shouldn't chase after the past or place expectations on the future. What is past is left behind. The future is as yet unreached. Everything past is unreal, everything future is unreal, everything imagined, absent, mental is unreal. Ultimately, real is only the present moment. There is an absolute objective present instant. Since only what is present exists, if I exist, I am present. My knowledge that I am present is therefore guaranteed.