1001Philosophers

John McTaggart Quotes

John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart was a British metaphysician and the leading defender of absolute idealism in early-twentieth-century Cambridge philosophy. A fellow of Trinity College, where his pupils included Bertrand Russell and G. The quotes below are attributed to John McTaggart, organized by topic.

John McTaggart on Love

  • Attributed to John McTaggart:

    “Reality is a society of selves bound together by love.”

John McTaggart on Mind

  • Attributed to John McTaggart:

    “Selfhood is the most fundamental feature of reality.”

John McTaggart on Time

  • Attributed to John McTaggart:

    “Time is unreal.”

  • Attributed to John McTaggart:

    “The A-series and the B-series of temporal predicates cannot both be ultimate.”

John McTaggart on Truth

  • Attributed to John McTaggart:

    “Philosophy must distinguish appearance from reality.”

Read all John McTaggart quotes on Truth