A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Explanation in theories of the specious present




AuthorsArstila, Valtteri

PublisherRoutledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd

Publication year2025

JournalPhilosophical Psychology

Journal name in sourcePHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Journal acronymPHILOS PSYCHOL

Volume38

Issue4

First page 1367

Last page1390

Number of pages24

ISSN0951-5089

eISSN1465-394X

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2023.2241501

Web address https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2023.2241501

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/180913282


Abstract
Time-consciousness theories aim to explain what our experiences must be like so that we can experience change, succession, and other temporally extended events (or at least why we believe we have such experiences). The most popular and influential explanations are versions of theories of the specious present, which maintain that what we experience appears to us as temporally extended. However, the role that specious presents have in bringing about temporal experiences remains undescribed. The briefly mentioned suggestions maintain that having temporally extended experiential content is either necessary or sufficient for having temporal experiences, or that the contents provide input for separate perceptual processes. In this paper, I argue that none of these suggestions succeed. Consequently, the theories of the specious present have not provided a satisfactory explanation of temporal experiences and their central motivation is lost.

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Last updated on 2025-22-05 at 08:38