Exclusive disjunctivism – Presentness without simultaneity in special relativity

Abstract

A-theoretic presentness is commonly regarded as non-solipsist and non-relative.The non-solipsism of a non-relative, A-theoretic presentness requires at least two space-like separated things to be present simpliciter together -this co-presentness further implies the global, non-relative, non-conventional simultaneity of them. Yet, this implication clashes with the general view that there is no global, non-relative, non-conventional simultaneity in Minkowski space-time. In order to resolve this conflict, this paper explores the possibility that the non-solipsism of a non-relative, A-theoretic presentness does not require at least two space-like separated things to be present simpliciter together. This can be done by holding exclusive disjunctivismthat mutually space-like separated things are present simpliciter exclusively disjunctively, and each one of them gets to be present simpliciter in a non-successive way (just like mutually time-like related things are present simpliciter exclusively disjunctively, and each one of them gets to be present simpliciter, but in a successive way).