What theorists have proposed a universe that begins in the present?
As far as I know, there are no established theories in physics or cosmology that propose a universe that begins in the present moment. The most widely accepted models suggest that the universe had a beginning at a finite time in the past, such as the Big Bang theory. However, some philosophers and theologians have proposed the idea of a universe that begins in the present as a way of addressing certain philosophical or theological questions.
What is the relationship between a theory of the universe beginning in the present and block time?
A theory proposing a universe beginning in the present is typically not compatible with the concept of block time. Block time is a view of time in which the past, present, and future all exist simultaneously as a static four-dimensional block, with our subjective experience of time being an illusion. In contrast, a universe beginning in the present implies that time has a definite beginning and that the past does not exist in any sense prior to that moment. Therefore, the concept of block time would not be applicable to a universe beginning in the present, as it would not involve a static four-dimensional block of time.
In block time do events occur?
In the block universe view, events are often considered to be “located” at particular points in the four-dimensional block, rather than “occurring” at a particular moment in time. From this perspective, all events in the past, present, and future are equally real and exist “simultaneously” in the block, and our subjective experience of the passage of time is an illusion.
So while events in the conventional sense of something happening at a specific time may not occur in block time, the block universe view still accounts for the existence of events by “placing” them at particular points in the four-dimensional block.