The theory of the specious present.

Vision: at any time, your mind contains a "conscious visual representation" of the scene before your eyes as it is, and also conscious visual representations of the scene as it was, at times in the recent past.

Hearing: at any time, your mind contains a "conscious sonic representation" of the sounds that are near your ears, and also conscious sonic representations of the sounds that were near your ears, in the recent past.

Smell, touch, taste:...

 


























The argument from jumbled sounds, aural version.

The scenario: someone sings quickly "do mi sol" in the key of C (the notes C, E, and G), close enough for you to hear. Let T be the time just after the "mi" is sung.

  1. If the theory of the specious present is true, then at time T there is a conscious sonic representation of "do," and a conscious sonic representation of the "mi," and a conscious sonic representation of the "sol," in your mind.

  2. If at time T there is a conscious sonic representation of "do," and a conscious sonic representation of the "mi," and a conscious sonic representation of the "sol," in your mind, then it sounds to you at T like a C-major chord is being sung at T.

  3. It does not sound to you at T like a C-major chord is being sung at T.

  4. Therefore, the theory of the specious present is not true.