Tense logic and time (Q791514)

This is a survey of recent developments in the logical study of time. The traditional approach in this area employs temporal orders of mathematical points. A systematic logical view is presented of suitable choices for such structures and their governing axioms, both elementary and higher- order. Next, the more recent interval models for time are introduced, in the same manner. Then, the two types of structure turn out to be mathematical duals, in the categorial sense. Various transfer theorems illustrate the back-and-forth mechanism. The resulting combined perspective becomes crucial in applications. Examples are presented concerning Russell's general philosophy of time and Kamp's discourse semantics for temporal constructions in natural language.