Yes, but it might not be what you think it is. Time exists as part of spacetime. It helps us order events, measure duration, and describe change. But it is not a universal metronome. There is no ticking clock governing the entire universe.
Does the passing of time exist?
That question is trickier.
Measuring durations and keeping appointments are straightforward. But the passing of time is more mysterious. We remember the past, experience the now, and anticipate the future. It feels like everything is marching forward, but that feeling is not quite right.
Einstein’s theory revealed that time is relative, and influenced by gravity and motion. Time can slow down or speed up depending on your frame of reference. In 30 Philosophers, I used the example of two electric watches, one on a table and one on the floor. The watch on the floor is slightly deeper in Earth’s gravity, so it ticks ever so slightly slower.
But the passing of time is real. It’s the experiencing the measure of change. Objects move. Positions shift. Events unfold. And clocks count those changes.
And time only moves forward. Eggs break; they do not unbreak. We call that the arrow of time.
But does the passing of time exist as a thing in itself? Well, maybe. That is a bit like asking if a rainbow exists. A rainbow is real as an experience, grounded in reality, but it is not a separate object. The passing of time might be like that: real to us, rooted in change, but more human than cosmic.
