ABSTRACT
The present state of the universe is described by applying physical laws to an initial state and letting states evolve with time. But within physical laws the distinction between past and present that explains the universe today in relation to the universe in the past cannot be found. Hence, the arrow of time cannot be understood as a feature of the laws. Instead, the explanation appeals to a special state of the universe in the deep past whose nature remains unresolved, leaving incomplete the project of understanding the connection between past and present of the physical universe.
