 The argument (1)–(5) is valid. But why think that it’s sound? Well, premise (2) is clearly true. The claim that “only present things exist now” amounts to the claim that “only presently existing things presently exist”. Whilst we shouldn’t disagree with this claim, it’s a mere triviality and cannot be used to advance a distinctive position in the philosophy of time. Moreover, P1 is consistent with the existence of non-present things, contrary to the spirit of presentism. For example, Marie Curie isn’t a present entity—she doesn’t exist now—but she can exist (in the past) without contradicting P1. Hence, P1 isn’t an adequate statement of presentism, regardless of its status as a truism.