The Block Universe

Abstract This chapter distinguishes the general features of the block view from its competitor, temporal dynamism. Then it puts more flesh on the bones of the block view by outlining the features that the block theorist takes the actual block to have. This is important in determining the sort of explanatory resources open to the block theorist. The chapter argues that the block world has spatiotemporal structure, local temporal asymmetries, and nomic structure. Finally, the chapter describes the experimental methodology used throughout this book as part of the basis on which to argue that it does not seem to observers as though the world is dynamical.