Spacetime, Relativity, and the Persistence of Becoming

Relativistic physics challenges our assumptions about time and existence. While eternalism posits a static block where all times equally exist, and presentism insists only the now exists, both struggle with relativity’s implications. Existential Realism (ER), recently introduced by T. C. Trepp, resolves this tension by distinguishing between “existence” (reserved for the present) and “reality” (which includes past and future insofar as they leave traces or can be anticipated). ER accommodates the relativity of simultaneity and the frame-dependence of “now,” avoiding the block’s metaphysical excess while preserving the ontological specialness of the present. This paper shows how ER reconciles relativity’s empirical content with a present-centered view that includes objective becoming and temporal continuity.