For the better part of a century, physicists have treated the inevitable collapse of stars as proof that black holes already exist. But inevitability is not actuality—and confusing the two has prod…

Spacetime isn’t something that exists; it’s a model for describing how events happen. Treating events as objects creates philosophical confusion and fuels misconceptions, such as time-travel paradoxes. Recognizing that events merely occur within an existing world brings clarity to physics and philosophy alike.

Space-time is a map of happenings, not a real object. Understanding this distinction clears up confusion about time. Whether or not space-time exists should not be considered controversial or even conceptually difficult once we are clear on the meanings of “space-time,” “events,” and “instants.” Believing in the existence of space-time is no more viable than [...]

Space-time isn’t an actual object or event, it’s a conceptual framework for understanding reality.