The present moment in quantum cosmology: Challenges to the arguments for the elimination of
time

Smolin, Lee (2000) The present moment in quantum cosmology: Challenges to the arguments for the elimination of
time.

Abstract

Barbour, Hawking, Misner and others have argued
that time cannot play an essential role
in the formulation of a quantum theory of cosmology. Here we present
three challenges to their arguments, taken from works and remarks by
Kauffman, Markopoulou and Newman. These can be seen to be based
on two principles: that every observable in a theory of cosmology should
be measurable by some observer inside the universe, and all mathematical
constructions necessary to the formulation of the theory should be
realizable in a finite time by a computer that fits inside the universe.
We also briefly discuss how a cosmological theory could be formulated
so it is in agreement with these principles.