fourdimensionalism

Fourdimensionalism is a position in the philosophy of time that holds objects persist by extending through time as four‑dimensional entities. According to this view, objects such as persons are not wholly present at a single moment; instead they are four‑dimensional beings—spacetime wormz—composed of temporal parts or stages that extend from their past to their future. The object’s history is what persists, rather than a single, time‑sliced present.

This view contrasts with three‑dimensionalism (endurantism), which treats objects as wholly present at each moment and only contiguously linked over time. In fourdimensionalism, persistence is a matter of having many temporal parts bound together within a single four‑dimensional whole. Temporal parts can be thought of as the object’s slices at different times, and the identity of the object is understood in terms of this four‑dimensional structure rather than a single present stage.

Two common formulations within fourdimensionalism are the idea of temporal parts or stages and the notion of a four‑dimensional object as a whole. Proponents argue that the theory provides a straightforward account of change, coincidence, and comparative persistence across time. Critics raise questions about parthood across time, the status of temporary intrinsics, and potential clashes with notions of identity in relativistic spacetime.

Historically associated with developments in metaphysics of time and influenced by the physics of spacetime, fourdimensionalism has been elaborated in various ways by contemporary philosophers. It remains a central alternative to endurantism in debates about how objects persist through time.