Anatomy of the Moment: Why the Present Is Not an Illusion

This article offers a profound analysis of the nature of the present, confronting the findings of relativistic physics with the latest discoveries in neuroscience. Author Jo Marchant challenges the concept of a block universe in which time is merely a static structure, pointing to the role of the brain as an active constructor of reality. The article explores how predictive mechanisms and the free energy principle allow us to experience the "now" as the foundation of human agency. Through a synthesis of cosmology and philosophy, the article rehabilitates temporal realism, arguing that the present moment is not an illusion but a key element of our interaction with the world and social structures.