Memory accretion hypothesis
At all times we are aware of a stock of memories of an ordered succession of events, each with a rough or precise time-stamp. We are also aware that the stock is being constantly added to - a process of accretion. This gives rise to the sense of time flowing in the direction that memories are added.
Two things are being claimed in the above summation:
  1. Memory accretion accounts for the sense of time flowing
  2. The subjective direction of time - the psychological arrow - is that in which the stock of memories increases.
These two claims are dealt with in separate Component nodes attached to this one. The only supportive argument that is added - or could be added, given that we are still looking at things at the phenomenal level - is an argument from introspection.
 
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A couple of issues arising from the hypothesis are considered:
  1. How does the hypothesis account for our belief in the future?
  2. What implications does the hypothesis have for the debate initiated by John McTaggart about whether tensed properties or untensed relations are the right way of ordering events in time?
A feature of the hypothesis is that it is compatible with viewpoints that deny the existence of time itself - such as that of Julian Barbour - since the sense of time arises from the existence of memory structures that all-at-once give rise to the sense of temporal passage without. Barbour suggests something similar (see citation).


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Immediately related elementsHow this works
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The Arrow of Time  »The Arrow of Time 
The experience of time »The experience of time
Passage view components »Passage view components
Flow and direction of time? »Flow and direction of time?
Memory accretion hypothesis 
Some issues arising »Some issues arising
Direction is that of memory accretion »Direction is that of memory accretion
Memory accretion explains sense of flow »Memory accretion explains sense of flow
Confirmed by introspection »Confirmed by introspection
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