Physics in the Real Universe: Time and Spacetime

TL;DR

This paper critiques the Block Universe concept by emphasizing the importance of emergent macro-physical phenomena and proposes an evolving block universe model where time progresses along world lines, aligning with observed reality.

Contribution

It introduces an evolving block universe model that incorporates macro-physical evolution, challenging the traditional static spacetime view based on microphysical laws.

Findings

The universe's macro-physical behavior is incompatible with a fixed block universe.

An evolving block universe better describes the development of complex systems and life.

Time evolution is linked to proper time along world lines, not fixed spacetime surfaces.

Abstract

The Block Universe idea, representing spacetime as a fixed whole, suggests the flow of time is an illusion: the entire universe just is, with no special meaning attached to the present time. This view is however based on time-reversible microphysical laws and does not represent macro-physical behaviour and the development of emergent complex systems, including life, which do indeed exist in the real universe. When these are taken into account, the unchanging block universe view of spacetime is best replaced by an evolving block universe which extends as time evolves, with the potential of the future continually becoming the certainty of the past. However this time evolution is not related to any preferred surfaces in spacetime; rather it is associated with the evolution of proper time along families of world lines