In this paper we examine Prior’s reconstruction of Master Argument [4] in some modal-tense logic. This logic consists of a
purely tense part and Diodorean definitions of modal alethic operators. Next we study this tense logic in the pure tense language.
It is the logic
K
t
4 plus a new axiom (
P): ‘
p Λ
G
p ⊃
P G
p’. This formula was used by Prior in his original analysis of Master Argument. (
P) is usually added as an extra axiom to an axiomatization of the logic of linear time. In that case the set of moments is
a total order and must be left-discrete without the least moment. However, the logic of Master Argument does not require linear
time. We show what properties of the set of moments are exactly forced by (
P) in the reconstruction of Prior. We make also some philosophical remarks on the analyzed reconstruction.
Keywords Master Argument of Diodorus Cronus - time and modalities - logical structures of time - modal and tense logics
Presented by Jacek Malinowski