Maybe we need to define some new words and tenses for the paradox of existence?
First of all, there are things that exist in the eternal now, not the fleeting now. The past and future tenses might not be appropriate for referring to something that exists eternally, but applying the present tense might also be inaccurate. Mathematics is arguably one of these cases. This is the same problem noted in The surviving branch: the everyday concept of time does not properly apply when describing the space of all possibilities. In addition, this distinction may share characteristics with the distinction between duration and spatialized scientific time that Bergson examined thoroughly.
Apart from the timeless/eternal existence and lived duration, maybe the multitude/oneness antinomy can be represented more accurately? The oneness of the many, as spiritual and philosophical traditions posit, “we all are one”, the unity of multiplicity. The “multi-one”. The interconnected one with such rich multiplicity.
Could It is and it is not be better represented as a single word and/or verb? Do all antinomies fit here, especially the ones that cannot be proved mathematically? Sometimes we arrive at antinomies due to wrong definitions. These need to be re-examined.
The verb “can” has at least two meanings: a) effortless potentiality, mathematical probability; b) ability, change by effort, conditional.
The verb “be”: a) is made of; b) exists; c) is part of.
There are different types of “open-ended” modality. Some of them (the first two describe the world, the last two describe our confidence):
- Potential as the maximum level an entity can reach if all else is favorable. It is hidden, for example, in seeds and DNA. It might be hidden in the Big Bang or other seed-like structures.
- Possible as something that can be the case but might, and probably will, be on the improbable spectrum; otherwise, it would be described by one of the following two terms.
- Probable as an outcome with a high chance of occurring.
- Plausible as lying between possible and probable, with a good chance of being the case.
There might be two other meanings of open modality here:
- Logical: all possible ways things could be.
- Creative: the felt power of imagination, freedom, and inner potency.