I'm not talking about your predictions of the future because those associations are based on past experiences.
2007-07-29 11:58:31 · 13 answers · asked by renegadephilosopher 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
The future can only affect the present indirectly. Plans for the future (i.e. final causality) affect the present. But your question ruled out predictions, and if you consider final causality to be included in this, I'll modify this and say that the future affects our current present insofar as the future will affect how we interpret the past.
However, these are rational causes, since predictions and final causality are intellectual. Considering agent causality, the future cannot affect the present because the future does not exit as such--unless one wants to bring up some argument based on relativity.
2007-07-29 13:21:18 · answer #1 · answered by checkhead 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, making decisions in the present for future events links the future with the present. In that respect, the future is affecting the present. However, I think the present has a much larger effect on the future than the future has on the present.
2007-07-29 12:08:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. It is only the past and the present that can affect the future. What happens in the future can never affect the past.
2007-07-29 12:06:06 · answer #3 · answered by wolfman 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Since we can't know the future in any definite form--because everything that happens in the now influences what we say, do, think, believe, etc.--we can only embrace the now and hope for the future to turn out ok, depending on what we do with the now.
2007-07-29 12:14:48 · answer #4 · answered by thelostrose 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Worrying about the future can affect your thinking, and that affects the present; but worrying is a present action, so I'd say no.
2007-07-29 12:04:52 · answer #5 · answered by csbp029 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow... This reminds me of something my dad might say. I'm not at all sure of the answer, but it's interesting to think about... Kind of like: why can we only remember the past and not the future? hmmmm...
2007-07-29 12:25:10 · answer #6 · answered by Gigi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, it is the other way around. Since the future is a day away, what happens today affects tomorrow. What hasn't happened can't affect what has happened.
2007-07-29 12:10:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Is this not from the future? Is this not the present?
2007-07-29 12:02:22 · answer #8 · answered by Source 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes it can.
if you know where your going, then you put things in place now on how to get there.
For example, i know that when i die i am accountable to God with how i lived my life, This does effect my actions today. its not a fear thing, its more of a responsibility to do the best with what he has given me. I need help with that i admit!
although i hope he does not mind me spending so much time on yahoo answers.
2007-07-29 17:00:28 · answer #9 · answered by Dr. Phil 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, maybe we come to realize a possibility, and that could change the way we live life now.
2007-07-29 12:06:04 · answer #10 · answered by IslandOfApples 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋