In What Sense is J.N. Findlay the Founding Father of Tense-logic?

In 1954, A. N. Prior (1914–1969) discovered a way to formalize tense-logic—as such, there is no doubt that he is the father of modern tense-logic. Despite this, he considered his early teacher in philosophy and logic, J. N. Findlay, to be, in a sense, the father of modern tense-logic. This title has been disputed, and it has been argued that Findlay merely had the luck of inspiring Prior’s invention through an important footnote in an article on time from 1941. However, others have accepted the view that Findlay is the father of tense-logic merely based on the same footnote and Prior’s appraisal. This article will argue, based upon a reading of Findlay’s early authorship, that both views are wrong. Furthermore, an evaluation of Findlay’s early work makes it evident that Prior was able to provide the formal foundation that was lacking in Findlay’s theory of tenses. Finally, the article argues that Prior’s tense-logic and Findlay theory of tenses was part of a different view on the relationship between symbols and metaphysics than the one espoused by Bertrand Russell.