Abstract

Physics has often undermined the notion of free will, and philosophers have been concerned about this for many reasons. One is that freedom seems to be a necessary condition for moral responsibility. This chapter explains how special theory of relativity (STR) leads to the idea that there is no flow of time. It analyzes several proposals that reintroduce a classical view of time without violating relativity. The chapter suggests two ways in which the philosophy of science can add some helpful perspective to the debate. It discusses how Einstein took gravity to be a geometric property of space time rather than a force and that general theory of relativity (GTR) conflicts with the Standard Model of particle physics. The chapter explains that there are several possible moves one might make in order to preserve a classical view of time.