Prior on the Logic and the Metaphysics of Time

In this paper I explore three related topics emerging from Prior’s work on the logic of time. First, what is the proper province of logic, if any? Is temporal (modal) logic just logic, on a par with the paradigmatic case of first order quantification theory or even simple propositional logic? Second, what counts as an interpretation of a formal system? In particular, can formal semantics provide an interpretation? Third, what is the proper role of the meta-theory? In connection with this last question we will see how Prior’s attitude towards instants of time may teach us something about the analogous case of possible worlds.