This wide-ranging book is McCall's most complete elaboration and defense of his long-held branching model of the universe, according to which the past and present of the universe at any time consists of a single space-time manifold (represented as the trunk of a tree) while the future at that time consists of a multiplicity of space-time manifolds (represented as the tree's branches) ... McCall's defense of his thesis is elegantly and concisely written, clear in its organization and development, and impressive in its scope

• Part 1 The model; Part 2 The direction and flow of time: the direction of time; time flow - the mind-dependency theory; objective time flow; McTaggart's alleged proof of the inconsistency of the A-series; truth-conditions for temporal discourse; Cambridge change and real change. Part 3 Causation and laws of nature: the link between cause and effect; laws of nature; cosmology; scientific knowledge; three differing views - Armstrong, Dretske, and Tooley, Lewis and van Fraassen; branched laws. Part 4 An interpretation of quantum mechanics: quantum probabilities; quantum non-locality and the EPR experiment; the measurement problem; comparison with the many-worlds interpretation; indeterminism. Part 5 Probability: rival theories of probability; the "branched" definition of probability; a probability value for every event. Part 6 Conditionals: truth-values and probability values; "inferential", "degree of belief" and "possible world" analyses of counterfactuals; comparative similarity; two kinds of conditionals; semantics for type-A conditionals; type-B conditionals; summary on conditionals. Part 7 Individuals and identity: actualism and modal realism; individuals in the branched model; transtemporal identity; transworld identity; puzzle cases of identity. Part 8 Essential properties: the necessity of origin; naturals kinds. Part 9 Decision and free will: chance, deliberation and decision; deliberation-reasons and explanation-reasons; the causal theory of action; responsibility for decisions; indeterministic mechanisms which select their own future states; summing-up. Appendices: the topology of branched spaces; branched four-dimensional space-time; a branched picture of Mermin's EPR experiment; probabilities of conditionals defined as conditional probabilities.

This wide-ranging book is McCall's most complete elaboration and defense of his long-held branching model of the universe, according to which the past and present of the universe at any time consists of a single space-time manifold (represented as the trunk of a tree) while the future at that time consists of a multiplicity of space-time manifolds (represented as the tree's branches) ... McCall's defense of his thesis is elegantly and concisely written, clear in its organization and development, and impressive in its scope

• Part 1 The model; Part 2 The direction and flow of time: the direction of time; time flow - the mind-dependency theory; objective time flow; McTaggart's alleged proof of the inconsistency of the A-series; truth-conditions for temporal discourse; Cambridge change and real change. Part 3 Causation and laws of nature: the link between cause and effect; laws of nature; cosmology; scientific knowledge; three differing views - Armstrong, Dretske, and Tooley, Lewis and van Fraassen; branched laws. Part 4 An interpretation of quantum mechanics: quantum probabilities; quantum non-locality and the EPR experiment; the measurement problem; comparison with the many-worlds interpretation; indeterminism. Part 5 Probability: rival theories of probability; the "branched" definition of probability; a probability value for every event. Part 6 Conditionals: truth-values and probability values; "inferential", "degree of belief" and "possible world" analyses of counterfactuals; comparative similarity; two kinds of conditionals; semantics for type-A conditionals; type-B conditionals; summary on conditionals. Part 7 Individuals and identity: actualism and modal realism; individuals in the branched model; transtemporal identity; transworld identity; puzzle cases of identity. Part 8 Essential properties: the necessity of origin; naturals kinds. Part 9 Decision and free will: chance, deliberation and decision; deliberation-reasons and explanation-reasons; the causal theory of action; responsibility for decisions; indeterministic mechanisms which select their own future states; summing-up. Appendices: the topology of branched spaces; branched four-dimensional space-time; a branched picture of Mermin's EPR experiment; probabilities of conditionals defined as conditional probabilities.

This wide-ranging book is McCall's most complete elaboration and defense of his long-held branching model of the universe, according to which the past and present of the universe at any time consists of a single space-time manifold (represented as the trunk of a tree) while the future at that time consists of a multiplicity of space-time manifolds (represented as the tree's branches) ... McCall's defense of his thesis is elegantly and concisely written, clear in its organization and development, and impressive in its scope

• Part 1 The model; Part 2 The direction and flow of time: the direction of time; time flow - the mind-dependency theory; objective time flow; McTaggart's alleged proof of the inconsistency of the A-series; truth-conditions for temporal discourse; Cambridge change and real change. Part 3 Causation and laws of nature: the link between cause and effect; laws of nature; cosmology; scientific knowledge; three differing views - Armstrong, Dretske, and Tooley, Lewis and van Fraassen; branched laws. Part 4 An interpretation of quantum mechanics: quantum probabilities; quantum non-locality and the EPR experiment; the measurement problem; comparison with the many-worlds interpretation; indeterminism. Part 5 Probability: rival theories of probability; the "branched" definition of probability; a probability value for every event. Part 6 Conditionals: truth-values and probability values; "inferential", "degree of belief" and "possible world" analyses of counterfactuals; comparative similarity; two kinds of conditionals; semantics for type-A conditionals; type-B conditionals; summary on conditionals. Part 7 Individuals and identity: actualism and modal realism; individuals in the branched model; transtemporal identity; transworld identity; puzzle cases of identity. Part 8 Essential properties: the necessity of origin; naturals kinds. Part 9 Decision and free will: chance, deliberation and decision; deliberation-reasons and explanation-reasons; the causal theory of action; responsibility for decisions; indeterministic mechanisms which select their own future states; summing-up. Appendices: the topology of branched spaces; branched four-dimensional space-time; a branched picture of Mermin's EPR experiment; probabilities of conditionals defined as conditional probabilities.