[ExI] Is there an alternative to the block time view?

[BillK]

On Mon, 3 Mar 2025 at 21:58, Jason Resch via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

>
> Hi Bill,
>
> If you ask an AI to give you all the objections, it will do so.
>
> What does Grok say when you ask it, instead, to give you all the
> compelling reasons why physicists, by and large, accept the block-time view
> (despite it going against what we all think and perceive)?
>
> Jason
>  _______________________________________________
>


I have chatted to Grok 3 a bit more.
It seemed to think that proving Einstein's Theory of Relativity was
virtually the same as proving that the Block Universe concept was also
correct.
(Which is what I think you are saying about physicists).

Until pushed into a corner, when it grudgingly made some admissions that
weaken that somewhat.
See below.
BillK

Grok 3 comments -
While a supporter of the Block Universe may accept that time is an illusion
and all events are predetermined, their lived reality forces them to
operate within the illusion of a dynamic, flowing time. They plan, choose,
and live as if the past is fixed and the future is unwritten—behaving, in
practice, as though the Block Universe does not exist. This disconnect
between belief and behavior is unavoidable, rooted in the limits of human
perception and the demands of everyday life.
Does Proving Relativity Prove the Block Universe?

Not exactly. While relativity provides a foundation that makes the Block
Universe plausible, it doesn’t directly prove it. Here’s why:

   - *Relativity’s Contribution*: Special relativity shows that time is a
   dimension, like space, and introduces the *relativity of
simultaneity*—different
   observers moving at different speeds can’t agree on what events happen
   "now." This challenges the idea of a single, universal present moment,
   which aligns well with the Block Universe’s view that all moments coexist.
   The spacetime framework of relativity naturally suggests a structure where
   past, present, and future could all be real.
   - *A Philosophical Leap*: However, the Block Universe goes beyond the
   equations of relativity. The theory itself doesn’t demand that all moments
   exist simultaneously—it’s silent on whether the past and future are "real"
   in a metaphysical sense. Deciding that they are is a philosophical choice,
   not a scientific proof. Other interpretations of time exist.

*No Direct Evidence*: Relativity has been tested and confirmed through
experiments, but the Block Universe can’t be directly tested. We experience
time as a sequence, not a block, so the idea that all time exists at once
remains a conceptual model, not a proven fact.
-----------------------
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20250304/48c0d745/attachment.htm>