A solution for the time-travel paradox - What could go wrong?
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Time travel has been invented and it goes like this.
You travel backwards in time at the same speed you normally travel forward. Everything is identical - you do all the actions the same but in reverse. When you return to the present you live your life at normal speed just as you did the first time.
So what is different? Well only your consciousness is travelling the timeline. Although your body is locked into all the old actions, your consciousness can form new memories as it moves backwards and forwards.
Suppose I go back to when I was 8 years old. I can relive the exact same experiences as I had then, first backwards and then forwards. I will see the same things and experience the same things but in reverse and then at normal speed forwards.
Problem
If I want to go back a year then it will take me a whole year to get there. Then I will need another year to return to the present. For this reason people tend to go back only a short time - for example to find the wallet they lost earlier in the day. With luck they can observe themselves losing the wallet but of course they can't do anything about it. However at least they know precisely where and when it happened and this will help them find it. They might even be able to see themselves being pick-pocketed and mentally take note of the thief's appearance.
You can only wind backwards and forwards like a movie and cannot change anything that happened to you and therefore there are no paradoxes. Or are there?
Question
Has this solved the time-travel paradox or can you find some fault in the scheme? What could go wrong?
Notes
You cannot change the past. You just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body. You experience everything in perfect, exquisite detail just as you did the first time around. (Thanks to Caio Nogueira for asking)
Travel in either direction occurs at the same speed that we already travel forward in time.
There is no way to fast-rewind or fast-forward.
You can of course travel forwards in time but only at the normal pace! In other words nothing is different from normal living. Only reverse time-travel makes a difference.
You must set the time in advance so, once you have set off, there is no way to change your mind.
Time travel is available to most people.
Edit: Imagine that your body is a four-dimensional object. It exists at every point in time simultaneously. Therefore none of your actions can ever change. It is only your consciousness that can move back-and-forth along the timeline.
reality-check time-travel paradox
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show 3 more comments
$begingroup$
Time travel has been invented and it goes like this.
You travel backwards in time at the same speed you normally travel forward. Everything is identical - you do all the actions the same but in reverse. When you return to the present you live your life at normal speed just as you did the first time.
So what is different? Well only your consciousness is travelling the timeline. Although your body is locked into all the old actions, your consciousness can form new memories as it moves backwards and forwards.
Suppose I go back to when I was 8 years old. I can relive the exact same experiences as I had then, first backwards and then forwards. I will see the same things and experience the same things but in reverse and then at normal speed forwards.
Problem
If I want to go back a year then it will take me a whole year to get there. Then I will need another year to return to the present. For this reason people tend to go back only a short time - for example to find the wallet they lost earlier in the day. With luck they can observe themselves losing the wallet but of course they can't do anything about it. However at least they know precisely where and when it happened and this will help them find it. They might even be able to see themselves being pick-pocketed and mentally take note of the thief's appearance.
You can only wind backwards and forwards like a movie and cannot change anything that happened to you and therefore there are no paradoxes. Or are there?
Question
Has this solved the time-travel paradox or can you find some fault in the scheme? What could go wrong?
Notes
You cannot change the past. You just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body. You experience everything in perfect, exquisite detail just as you did the first time around. (Thanks to Caio Nogueira for asking)
Travel in either direction occurs at the same speed that we already travel forward in time.
There is no way to fast-rewind or fast-forward.
You can of course travel forwards in time but only at the normal pace! In other words nothing is different from normal living. Only reverse time-travel makes a difference.
You must set the time in advance so, once you have set off, there is no way to change your mind.
Time travel is available to most people.
Edit: Imagine that your body is a four-dimensional object. It exists at every point in time simultaneously. Therefore none of your actions can ever change. It is only your consciousness that can move back-and-forth along the timeline.
reality-check time-travel paradox
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When, you go back can you change the past? or you just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body until you arrive at the time of the rewind?
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– Caio Nogueira
1 hour ago
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@ Caio Nogueira - That's the point. You cannot change anything. You are just a spectator although you experience every sensation in perfect detail.
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– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
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The trip back to the present sounds a bit scary - you're trapped in your own body, and your conscious mind is unable to interact with the world in any way.
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– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
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@Nuclear Wang - and travelling backwards must be even weirder!
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– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
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What happens to your physical presence while you travel back? How would people around you experience your travel? If you travel forward at normal speed, you would never catch up with the present, since time moves forward for everyone else around you by the time you travel back.
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– Soeren D.
49 mins ago
|
show 3 more comments
$begingroup$
Time travel has been invented and it goes like this.
You travel backwards in time at the same speed you normally travel forward. Everything is identical - you do all the actions the same but in reverse. When you return to the present you live your life at normal speed just as you did the first time.
So what is different? Well only your consciousness is travelling the timeline. Although your body is locked into all the old actions, your consciousness can form new memories as it moves backwards and forwards.
Suppose I go back to when I was 8 years old. I can relive the exact same experiences as I had then, first backwards and then forwards. I will see the same things and experience the same things but in reverse and then at normal speed forwards.
Problem
If I want to go back a year then it will take me a whole year to get there. Then I will need another year to return to the present. For this reason people tend to go back only a short time - for example to find the wallet they lost earlier in the day. With luck they can observe themselves losing the wallet but of course they can't do anything about it. However at least they know precisely where and when it happened and this will help them find it. They might even be able to see themselves being pick-pocketed and mentally take note of the thief's appearance.
You can only wind backwards and forwards like a movie and cannot change anything that happened to you and therefore there are no paradoxes. Or are there?
Question
Has this solved the time-travel paradox or can you find some fault in the scheme? What could go wrong?
Notes
You cannot change the past. You just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body. You experience everything in perfect, exquisite detail just as you did the first time around. (Thanks to Caio Nogueira for asking)
Travel in either direction occurs at the same speed that we already travel forward in time.
There is no way to fast-rewind or fast-forward.
You can of course travel forwards in time but only at the normal pace! In other words nothing is different from normal living. Only reverse time-travel makes a difference.
You must set the time in advance so, once you have set off, there is no way to change your mind.
Time travel is available to most people.
Edit: Imagine that your body is a four-dimensional object. It exists at every point in time simultaneously. Therefore none of your actions can ever change. It is only your consciousness that can move back-and-forth along the timeline.
reality-check time-travel paradox
$endgroup$
Time travel has been invented and it goes like this.
You travel backwards in time at the same speed you normally travel forward. Everything is identical - you do all the actions the same but in reverse. When you return to the present you live your life at normal speed just as you did the first time.
So what is different? Well only your consciousness is travelling the timeline. Although your body is locked into all the old actions, your consciousness can form new memories as it moves backwards and forwards.
Suppose I go back to when I was 8 years old. I can relive the exact same experiences as I had then, first backwards and then forwards. I will see the same things and experience the same things but in reverse and then at normal speed forwards.
Problem
If I want to go back a year then it will take me a whole year to get there. Then I will need another year to return to the present. For this reason people tend to go back only a short time - for example to find the wallet they lost earlier in the day. With luck they can observe themselves losing the wallet but of course they can't do anything about it. However at least they know precisely where and when it happened and this will help them find it. They might even be able to see themselves being pick-pocketed and mentally take note of the thief's appearance.
You can only wind backwards and forwards like a movie and cannot change anything that happened to you and therefore there are no paradoxes. Or are there?
Question
Has this solved the time-travel paradox or can you find some fault in the scheme? What could go wrong?
Notes
You cannot change the past. You just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body. You experience everything in perfect, exquisite detail just as you did the first time around. (Thanks to Caio Nogueira for asking)
Travel in either direction occurs at the same speed that we already travel forward in time.
There is no way to fast-rewind or fast-forward.
You can of course travel forwards in time but only at the normal pace! In other words nothing is different from normal living. Only reverse time-travel makes a difference.
You must set the time in advance so, once you have set off, there is no way to change your mind.
Time travel is available to most people.
Edit: Imagine that your body is a four-dimensional object. It exists at every point in time simultaneously. Therefore none of your actions can ever change. It is only your consciousness that can move back-and-forth along the timeline.
reality-check time-travel paradox
reality-check time-travel paradox
edited 4 mins ago
chasly from UK
asked 1 hour ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
13.7k461129
13.7k461129
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When, you go back can you change the past? or you just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body until you arrive at the time of the rewind?
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– Caio Nogueira
1 hour ago
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@ Caio Nogueira - That's the point. You cannot change anything. You are just a spectator although you experience every sensation in perfect detail.
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– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
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The trip back to the present sounds a bit scary - you're trapped in your own body, and your conscious mind is unable to interact with the world in any way.
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– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
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@Nuclear Wang - and travelling backwards must be even weirder!
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– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
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What happens to your physical presence while you travel back? How would people around you experience your travel? If you travel forward at normal speed, you would never catch up with the present, since time moves forward for everyone else around you by the time you travel back.
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– Soeren D.
49 mins ago
|
show 3 more comments
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When, you go back can you change the past? or you just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body until you arrive at the time of the rewind?
$endgroup$
– Caio Nogueira
1 hour ago
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@ Caio Nogueira - That's the point. You cannot change anything. You are just a spectator although you experience every sensation in perfect detail.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
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The trip back to the present sounds a bit scary - you're trapped in your own body, and your conscious mind is unable to interact with the world in any way.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
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@Nuclear Wang - and travelling backwards must be even weirder!
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
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What happens to your physical presence while you travel back? How would people around you experience your travel? If you travel forward at normal speed, you would never catch up with the present, since time moves forward for everyone else around you by the time you travel back.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
49 mins ago
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When, you go back can you change the past? or you just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body until you arrive at the time of the rewind?
$endgroup$
– Caio Nogueira
1 hour ago
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When, you go back can you change the past? or you just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body until you arrive at the time of the rewind?
$endgroup$
– Caio Nogueira
1 hour ago
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@ Caio Nogueira - That's the point. You cannot change anything. You are just a spectator although you experience every sensation in perfect detail.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
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@ Caio Nogueira - That's the point. You cannot change anything. You are just a spectator although you experience every sensation in perfect detail.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
1
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The trip back to the present sounds a bit scary - you're trapped in your own body, and your conscious mind is unable to interact with the world in any way.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
The trip back to the present sounds a bit scary - you're trapped in your own body, and your conscious mind is unable to interact with the world in any way.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Nuclear Wang - and travelling backwards must be even weirder!
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Nuclear Wang - and travelling backwards must be even weirder!
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
1
$begingroup$
What happens to your physical presence while you travel back? How would people around you experience your travel? If you travel forward at normal speed, you would never catch up with the present, since time moves forward for everyone else around you by the time you travel back.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
49 mins ago
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What happens to your physical presence while you travel back? How would people around you experience your travel? If you travel forward at normal speed, you would never catch up with the present, since time moves forward for everyone else around you by the time you travel back.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
49 mins ago
|
show 3 more comments
7 Answers
7
active
oldest
votes
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There are no paradox concerns.
Your system prevents modification of the past, so there is no way to cause changes which would lead you to not go back in time, or go back in time differently.
Your system cannot see into the future, so you cannot see the effects of your actions and act differently.
Really, it's more of a VCR than time travel. You can go back to see the things you previously recorded, and that's it. Also, there's no fast-forward/rewind, just play forwards and play backwards.
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Essentially, this isn't actually time-travel, it's merely retro-cognition.
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– Gryphon
1 hour ago
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@Gryphon Yes. I've been trying to figure out a good wording treating it like a photographic memory with some really annoying toll associated with its use (the wear on one's conciousness for 2x the time... if there's any wear at all), but it seems hard to pen properly.
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– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
add a comment |
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Musing about the concept...
Essentially, living memory becomes (potentially) more accessible. The big benefit is that those memories could contain information that was originally not really noticed, but with the hindsight of future knowledge can be 'recalled' and brought forward and acted on.
It creates an interesting new branch of criminal investigations. Witnesses can reveal forgotten details, especially form recent events, leading to more certain rulings.
It creates an interesting new branch of research, for the same reason. With proper incentive, a survivor of Event X (a Kennedy assassination, for example) can potentially bring back forgotten evidence. A WWII survivor could be 'sent back' to try to 'remember'(?) conversations that have since been lost... a conversation with Einstein, or Tesla.
Conversations with native Americans in their own language could (potentially) be recovered -- languages which are inadequately documented and have since gone extinct.
This works for any organization in fact. Crime syndicates can use it (potentially) to better learn the identity of informants. Or, to more easily remember (or notice!) the location of valuables.
New contributor
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add a comment |
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I think there is a major flaw:
Since there is no fast forward, you could never catch up with the present. For everyone else, time moves forward and you are always behind.
Unless triggering the time travel freezes time for everyone else.
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You aren't changing anything. Consider time as a fourth dimension - your consciousness is simply moving backwards and forwards at a fixed speed. When it travels forward again you just keep pace with everyone else with the added memories of things you might otherwise have forgotten. Eventually you get back to the present along with everyone else and continue forward. There is no catching up to do because you are simply following the original timeline. Only in your mind have you made a journey through time but your body has done nothing different.
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– chasly from UK
31 mins ago
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OK, so suppose I stand next to you when you trigger the travel backwards? What Do I see? Does my consciousness move forward at that point? Because if it would, then I would live in the Future by the time you are back. Your concept would only work if time moves backward for everyone.
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– Soeren D.
27 mins ago
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If you do no time-travelling then your consciousness always moves forward. You can't 'see' my consciousness - only my body so, you won't detect anything. However Caio Nogueira has found a possible paradox (unavoidable looping) so see Caio's answer and comments for an explanation of that.
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– chasly from UK
22 mins ago
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If my consciousness moves forward and yours moves backwards and then forward at the same speed, we will forever be out of sync, you will never again be able to interact with me or react to my actions. I will forever see your unconcious body. You are forever locked. This may well be at the core the same looping paradox Caio Nogueira describes.
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– Soeren D.
18 mins ago
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When I move forward again, your physical body (and consciousness) will be interacting with my automatically behaving body (containing my now observing-only consciousness). You can't tell the difference. When I get back to the present my consciousness will be able to take over my body (or rather inhabit it) and so we will again be in sync.
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– chasly from UK
12 mins ago
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show 1 more comment
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Yes and no....
Part of time is that not only does the past affect the future, but the future also affects the past.
By going back in time and taking note of the pickpocket, for example, you learn enough about him to file a police report, so you do so.
However, had you not gone into the past to discover what happened to your wallet, you have still changed the future, as you would not have reported it stolen had you not discovered it was stolen and not lost.
So, say instead, you were going to meet a friend for lunch, and in the future, that friend would have dropped his wallet, and lost it at your lunch. Now, he doesn't lose it...
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But how does he travel back in time to not steal the wallet? He can't change his past actions
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– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
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@CortAmmon I changed it, thanks.
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– Richard U
1 hour ago
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But changing the future isn't a paradox at all. I could decide to shave my head tomorrow, or decide not to. They are mutually exclusive futures, and my actions directly determine which one will occur. Selecting among possible futures that could happen is a normal occurrence that happens with everyday choices all the time - not a paradox.
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– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
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@NuclearWang but there is a difference. Your future self has already made those choices. by having your present self go back and view something that causes those choices to change, you create a paradox for your future self.
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– Richard U
1 hour ago
add a comment |
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You go back by rewinding, but your conscience does not go backwards? It is actually remembering future events relative to the time you return to you. It's like information travels backwards with you. In the first scenario you can act to undo mistakes and therefore the mistake was never done and there was no reason for the trip - That's already a paradox. In the second scenario, the same things will happen again. That is, you do the same mistakes even though you know it. What prevents you from taking corrective measures? Why, in your example, you would see the pickpocketer and could do nothing about it? Would you be able to see him from a different angle and still be unable to warn your past-yourself? Suppose you stopped your time-rewind and returned to "replay", will you be the "same one", or will another observer see you and your past-you?
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This goes back to the philosophocal mind-brain problem - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… - which exists in various forms. For these purposes, I am assuming that mind (consciousness) is separate from the workings of the brain. Therefore the time-traveller's brain carries out all the original actions as an automaton but the mind cannot affect them in any way - only observe.
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– chasly from UK
53 mins ago
add a comment |
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If you do it through your mind there is no problem, that's just memory(a very good and also problematic one) or watching a movie in first person of your actions, strap a camera in your head, force yourself to follow this rules and you can do this yourself, but if you do it through external interference like magic or a machine that send you on time, that's a action that happened in the past and you stay trapped on the loop.
To break the loop paradox, you could create a "escape rope", Lets say this.
january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press the button to the escape rope, you keep living your life normaly, at january 13 of 2019 at 15:00 you see a murder, then at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you rewind time to the january 12 of 2019 at 12:59, you start the loop, then at january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press again the "escape rope" that have a command which says "if you are on a loop unmake the effect of the loop button when you press it" (frase it as you like, also yes, I code), when you arrive at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you press the button the effect of the escape rope triggers and you break out of the loop.
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Yes, the loop issue is a clever notice. However, if you are bound to re-enact your past actions, you will likely press the "rewind" as if it's your first time and you loop again. Doing it differently simply means you can change things in the past.
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– Christmas Snow
17 mins ago
add a comment |
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Your system cannot work with our understanding of physics.
Think of Schrödinger' cat. The effect most people associate to it cannot be reproduced on a macroscopic object such as a cat, but it is reproducible with particles. It is happening at every moment to every subatomic particle. But for the sake of argument, let's call some paint particles on a brick of a wall our cat particles. They can cause the paint to peel off in various patterns; You will only know when you observe them.
You passed by your backyard yesterday without paying attention to a certain brick. Today you notice some paint is peeling off that brick, forming a pattern.
You go back to the "past" to do the wallet finding thing. You think you lost it close to the wall, so now you pay attention to the brick.
The fact that you are observing them on the past means they have to collapse their wave function at that moment, so the universe decides whether and how the paint peels off at that moment. You just changed the past.
You have a paradox now. If the paint must always off to be just as you remember from the "present", then the wave function collapse in the "present" extended to the "past", meaning anything happening in the present affects and changes the "past" retroactively. Otherwise, wave function collapsing from direct "past" observations may cause changes to events anyway, and those changed will accumulate through time a la butterfly effect.
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I am assuming a mind-brain separation. Isn't it physical observation that collapses the waveform? In my scenario my mind (or soul or whatever you want to call it) is merely being conscious of what the brain is doing physically. The physical activity of the brain is identical every time. In other words your eye may have collapsed the waveform the first time but your consciousness was focused on something else.
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– chasly from UK
17 mins ago
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If your brain will be doing the same thing everytime, you won't be able to do the wallet finding trick from the question - you will just forget the wallet in exact same fashion. Otherwise you are introducing a new observer to the past.
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– Renan
7 mins ago
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Yes. Your consciousness is the observer of your body. There is some evidence that consciousness is no more than an observer of what we do and is simply an epiphenomenon. I'll look for the references.
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– chasly from UK
30 secs ago
add a comment |
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7 Answers
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7 Answers
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$begingroup$
There are no paradox concerns.
Your system prevents modification of the past, so there is no way to cause changes which would lead you to not go back in time, or go back in time differently.
Your system cannot see into the future, so you cannot see the effects of your actions and act differently.
Really, it's more of a VCR than time travel. You can go back to see the things you previously recorded, and that's it. Also, there's no fast-forward/rewind, just play forwards and play backwards.
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Essentially, this isn't actually time-travel, it's merely retro-cognition.
$endgroup$
– Gryphon
1 hour ago
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@Gryphon Yes. I've been trying to figure out a good wording treating it like a photographic memory with some really annoying toll associated with its use (the wear on one's conciousness for 2x the time... if there's any wear at all), but it seems hard to pen properly.
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are no paradox concerns.
Your system prevents modification of the past, so there is no way to cause changes which would lead you to not go back in time, or go back in time differently.
Your system cannot see into the future, so you cannot see the effects of your actions and act differently.
Really, it's more of a VCR than time travel. You can go back to see the things you previously recorded, and that's it. Also, there's no fast-forward/rewind, just play forwards and play backwards.
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Essentially, this isn't actually time-travel, it's merely retro-cognition.
$endgroup$
– Gryphon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Gryphon Yes. I've been trying to figure out a good wording treating it like a photographic memory with some really annoying toll associated with its use (the wear on one's conciousness for 2x the time... if there's any wear at all), but it seems hard to pen properly.
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are no paradox concerns.
Your system prevents modification of the past, so there is no way to cause changes which would lead you to not go back in time, or go back in time differently.
Your system cannot see into the future, so you cannot see the effects of your actions and act differently.
Really, it's more of a VCR than time travel. You can go back to see the things you previously recorded, and that's it. Also, there's no fast-forward/rewind, just play forwards and play backwards.
$endgroup$
There are no paradox concerns.
Your system prevents modification of the past, so there is no way to cause changes which would lead you to not go back in time, or go back in time differently.
Your system cannot see into the future, so you cannot see the effects of your actions and act differently.
Really, it's more of a VCR than time travel. You can go back to see the things you previously recorded, and that's it. Also, there's no fast-forward/rewind, just play forwards and play backwards.
answered 1 hour ago
Cort AmmonCort Ammon
109k17187384
109k17187384
1
$begingroup$
Essentially, this isn't actually time-travel, it's merely retro-cognition.
$endgroup$
– Gryphon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Gryphon Yes. I've been trying to figure out a good wording treating it like a photographic memory with some really annoying toll associated with its use (the wear on one's conciousness for 2x the time... if there's any wear at all), but it seems hard to pen properly.
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
Essentially, this isn't actually time-travel, it's merely retro-cognition.
$endgroup$
– Gryphon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Gryphon Yes. I've been trying to figure out a good wording treating it like a photographic memory with some really annoying toll associated with its use (the wear on one's conciousness for 2x the time... if there's any wear at all), but it seems hard to pen properly.
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
1
1
$begingroup$
Essentially, this isn't actually time-travel, it's merely retro-cognition.
$endgroup$
– Gryphon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Essentially, this isn't actually time-travel, it's merely retro-cognition.
$endgroup$
– Gryphon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Gryphon Yes. I've been trying to figure out a good wording treating it like a photographic memory with some really annoying toll associated with its use (the wear on one's conciousness for 2x the time... if there's any wear at all), but it seems hard to pen properly.
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Gryphon Yes. I've been trying to figure out a good wording treating it like a photographic memory with some really annoying toll associated with its use (the wear on one's conciousness for 2x the time... if there's any wear at all), but it seems hard to pen properly.
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Musing about the concept...
Essentially, living memory becomes (potentially) more accessible. The big benefit is that those memories could contain information that was originally not really noticed, but with the hindsight of future knowledge can be 'recalled' and brought forward and acted on.
It creates an interesting new branch of criminal investigations. Witnesses can reveal forgotten details, especially form recent events, leading to more certain rulings.
It creates an interesting new branch of research, for the same reason. With proper incentive, a survivor of Event X (a Kennedy assassination, for example) can potentially bring back forgotten evidence. A WWII survivor could be 'sent back' to try to 'remember'(?) conversations that have since been lost... a conversation with Einstein, or Tesla.
Conversations with native Americans in their own language could (potentially) be recovered -- languages which are inadequately documented and have since gone extinct.
This works for any organization in fact. Crime syndicates can use it (potentially) to better learn the identity of informants. Or, to more easily remember (or notice!) the location of valuables.
New contributor
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Musing about the concept...
Essentially, living memory becomes (potentially) more accessible. The big benefit is that those memories could contain information that was originally not really noticed, but with the hindsight of future knowledge can be 'recalled' and brought forward and acted on.
It creates an interesting new branch of criminal investigations. Witnesses can reveal forgotten details, especially form recent events, leading to more certain rulings.
It creates an interesting new branch of research, for the same reason. With proper incentive, a survivor of Event X (a Kennedy assassination, for example) can potentially bring back forgotten evidence. A WWII survivor could be 'sent back' to try to 'remember'(?) conversations that have since been lost... a conversation with Einstein, or Tesla.
Conversations with native Americans in their own language could (potentially) be recovered -- languages which are inadequately documented and have since gone extinct.
This works for any organization in fact. Crime syndicates can use it (potentially) to better learn the identity of informants. Or, to more easily remember (or notice!) the location of valuables.
New contributor
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Musing about the concept...
Essentially, living memory becomes (potentially) more accessible. The big benefit is that those memories could contain information that was originally not really noticed, but with the hindsight of future knowledge can be 'recalled' and brought forward and acted on.
It creates an interesting new branch of criminal investigations. Witnesses can reveal forgotten details, especially form recent events, leading to more certain rulings.
It creates an interesting new branch of research, for the same reason. With proper incentive, a survivor of Event X (a Kennedy assassination, for example) can potentially bring back forgotten evidence. A WWII survivor could be 'sent back' to try to 'remember'(?) conversations that have since been lost... a conversation with Einstein, or Tesla.
Conversations with native Americans in their own language could (potentially) be recovered -- languages which are inadequately documented and have since gone extinct.
This works for any organization in fact. Crime syndicates can use it (potentially) to better learn the identity of informants. Or, to more easily remember (or notice!) the location of valuables.
New contributor
$endgroup$
Musing about the concept...
Essentially, living memory becomes (potentially) more accessible. The big benefit is that those memories could contain information that was originally not really noticed, but with the hindsight of future knowledge can be 'recalled' and brought forward and acted on.
It creates an interesting new branch of criminal investigations. Witnesses can reveal forgotten details, especially form recent events, leading to more certain rulings.
It creates an interesting new branch of research, for the same reason. With proper incentive, a survivor of Event X (a Kennedy assassination, for example) can potentially bring back forgotten evidence. A WWII survivor could be 'sent back' to try to 'remember'(?) conversations that have since been lost... a conversation with Einstein, or Tesla.
Conversations with native Americans in their own language could (potentially) be recovered -- languages which are inadequately documented and have since gone extinct.
This works for any organization in fact. Crime syndicates can use it (potentially) to better learn the identity of informants. Or, to more easily remember (or notice!) the location of valuables.
New contributor
edited 28 mins ago
New contributor
answered 34 mins ago
rjerje
214
214
New contributor
New contributor
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I think there is a major flaw:
Since there is no fast forward, you could never catch up with the present. For everyone else, time moves forward and you are always behind.
Unless triggering the time travel freezes time for everyone else.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
You aren't changing anything. Consider time as a fourth dimension - your consciousness is simply moving backwards and forwards at a fixed speed. When it travels forward again you just keep pace with everyone else with the added memories of things you might otherwise have forgotten. Eventually you get back to the present along with everyone else and continue forward. There is no catching up to do because you are simply following the original timeline. Only in your mind have you made a journey through time but your body has done nothing different.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
31 mins ago
$begingroup$
OK, so suppose I stand next to you when you trigger the travel backwards? What Do I see? Does my consciousness move forward at that point? Because if it would, then I would live in the Future by the time you are back. Your concept would only work if time moves backward for everyone.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
27 mins ago
$begingroup$
If you do no time-travelling then your consciousness always moves forward. You can't 'see' my consciousness - only my body so, you won't detect anything. However Caio Nogueira has found a possible paradox (unavoidable looping) so see Caio's answer and comments for an explanation of that.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
22 mins ago
$begingroup$
If my consciousness moves forward and yours moves backwards and then forward at the same speed, we will forever be out of sync, you will never again be able to interact with me or react to my actions. I will forever see your unconcious body. You are forever locked. This may well be at the core the same looping paradox Caio Nogueira describes.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
18 mins ago
$begingroup$
When I move forward again, your physical body (and consciousness) will be interacting with my automatically behaving body (containing my now observing-only consciousness). You can't tell the difference. When I get back to the present my consciousness will be able to take over my body (or rather inhabit it) and so we will again be in sync.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
12 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
I think there is a major flaw:
Since there is no fast forward, you could never catch up with the present. For everyone else, time moves forward and you are always behind.
Unless triggering the time travel freezes time for everyone else.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
You aren't changing anything. Consider time as a fourth dimension - your consciousness is simply moving backwards and forwards at a fixed speed. When it travels forward again you just keep pace with everyone else with the added memories of things you might otherwise have forgotten. Eventually you get back to the present along with everyone else and continue forward. There is no catching up to do because you are simply following the original timeline. Only in your mind have you made a journey through time but your body has done nothing different.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
31 mins ago
$begingroup$
OK, so suppose I stand next to you when you trigger the travel backwards? What Do I see? Does my consciousness move forward at that point? Because if it would, then I would live in the Future by the time you are back. Your concept would only work if time moves backward for everyone.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
27 mins ago
$begingroup$
If you do no time-travelling then your consciousness always moves forward. You can't 'see' my consciousness - only my body so, you won't detect anything. However Caio Nogueira has found a possible paradox (unavoidable looping) so see Caio's answer and comments for an explanation of that.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
22 mins ago
$begingroup$
If my consciousness moves forward and yours moves backwards and then forward at the same speed, we will forever be out of sync, you will never again be able to interact with me or react to my actions. I will forever see your unconcious body. You are forever locked. This may well be at the core the same looping paradox Caio Nogueira describes.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
18 mins ago
$begingroup$
When I move forward again, your physical body (and consciousness) will be interacting with my automatically behaving body (containing my now observing-only consciousness). You can't tell the difference. When I get back to the present my consciousness will be able to take over my body (or rather inhabit it) and so we will again be in sync.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
12 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
I think there is a major flaw:
Since there is no fast forward, you could never catch up with the present. For everyone else, time moves forward and you are always behind.
Unless triggering the time travel freezes time for everyone else.
$endgroup$
I think there is a major flaw:
Since there is no fast forward, you could never catch up with the present. For everyone else, time moves forward and you are always behind.
Unless triggering the time travel freezes time for everyone else.
answered 38 mins ago
Soeren D.Soeren D.
3014
3014
$begingroup$
You aren't changing anything. Consider time as a fourth dimension - your consciousness is simply moving backwards and forwards at a fixed speed. When it travels forward again you just keep pace with everyone else with the added memories of things you might otherwise have forgotten. Eventually you get back to the present along with everyone else and continue forward. There is no catching up to do because you are simply following the original timeline. Only in your mind have you made a journey through time but your body has done nothing different.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
31 mins ago
$begingroup$
OK, so suppose I stand next to you when you trigger the travel backwards? What Do I see? Does my consciousness move forward at that point? Because if it would, then I would live in the Future by the time you are back. Your concept would only work if time moves backward for everyone.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
27 mins ago
$begingroup$
If you do no time-travelling then your consciousness always moves forward. You can't 'see' my consciousness - only my body so, you won't detect anything. However Caio Nogueira has found a possible paradox (unavoidable looping) so see Caio's answer and comments for an explanation of that.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
22 mins ago
$begingroup$
If my consciousness moves forward and yours moves backwards and then forward at the same speed, we will forever be out of sync, you will never again be able to interact with me or react to my actions. I will forever see your unconcious body. You are forever locked. This may well be at the core the same looping paradox Caio Nogueira describes.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
18 mins ago
$begingroup$
When I move forward again, your physical body (and consciousness) will be interacting with my automatically behaving body (containing my now observing-only consciousness). You can't tell the difference. When I get back to the present my consciousness will be able to take over my body (or rather inhabit it) and so we will again be in sync.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
12 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
You aren't changing anything. Consider time as a fourth dimension - your consciousness is simply moving backwards and forwards at a fixed speed. When it travels forward again you just keep pace with everyone else with the added memories of things you might otherwise have forgotten. Eventually you get back to the present along with everyone else and continue forward. There is no catching up to do because you are simply following the original timeline. Only in your mind have you made a journey through time but your body has done nothing different.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
31 mins ago
$begingroup$
OK, so suppose I stand next to you when you trigger the travel backwards? What Do I see? Does my consciousness move forward at that point? Because if it would, then I would live in the Future by the time you are back. Your concept would only work if time moves backward for everyone.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
27 mins ago
$begingroup$
If you do no time-travelling then your consciousness always moves forward. You can't 'see' my consciousness - only my body so, you won't detect anything. However Caio Nogueira has found a possible paradox (unavoidable looping) so see Caio's answer and comments for an explanation of that.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
22 mins ago
$begingroup$
If my consciousness moves forward and yours moves backwards and then forward at the same speed, we will forever be out of sync, you will never again be able to interact with me or react to my actions. I will forever see your unconcious body. You are forever locked. This may well be at the core the same looping paradox Caio Nogueira describes.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
18 mins ago
$begingroup$
When I move forward again, your physical body (and consciousness) will be interacting with my automatically behaving body (containing my now observing-only consciousness). You can't tell the difference. When I get back to the present my consciousness will be able to take over my body (or rather inhabit it) and so we will again be in sync.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
12 mins ago
$begingroup$
You aren't changing anything. Consider time as a fourth dimension - your consciousness is simply moving backwards and forwards at a fixed speed. When it travels forward again you just keep pace with everyone else with the added memories of things you might otherwise have forgotten. Eventually you get back to the present along with everyone else and continue forward. There is no catching up to do because you are simply following the original timeline. Only in your mind have you made a journey through time but your body has done nothing different.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
31 mins ago
$begingroup$
You aren't changing anything. Consider time as a fourth dimension - your consciousness is simply moving backwards and forwards at a fixed speed. When it travels forward again you just keep pace with everyone else with the added memories of things you might otherwise have forgotten. Eventually you get back to the present along with everyone else and continue forward. There is no catching up to do because you are simply following the original timeline. Only in your mind have you made a journey through time but your body has done nothing different.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
31 mins ago
$begingroup$
OK, so suppose I stand next to you when you trigger the travel backwards? What Do I see? Does my consciousness move forward at that point? Because if it would, then I would live in the Future by the time you are back. Your concept would only work if time moves backward for everyone.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
27 mins ago
$begingroup$
OK, so suppose I stand next to you when you trigger the travel backwards? What Do I see? Does my consciousness move forward at that point? Because if it would, then I would live in the Future by the time you are back. Your concept would only work if time moves backward for everyone.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
27 mins ago
$begingroup$
If you do no time-travelling then your consciousness always moves forward. You can't 'see' my consciousness - only my body so, you won't detect anything. However Caio Nogueira has found a possible paradox (unavoidable looping) so see Caio's answer and comments for an explanation of that.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
22 mins ago
$begingroup$
If you do no time-travelling then your consciousness always moves forward. You can't 'see' my consciousness - only my body so, you won't detect anything. However Caio Nogueira has found a possible paradox (unavoidable looping) so see Caio's answer and comments for an explanation of that.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
22 mins ago
$begingroup$
If my consciousness moves forward and yours moves backwards and then forward at the same speed, we will forever be out of sync, you will never again be able to interact with me or react to my actions. I will forever see your unconcious body. You are forever locked. This may well be at the core the same looping paradox Caio Nogueira describes.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
18 mins ago
$begingroup$
If my consciousness moves forward and yours moves backwards and then forward at the same speed, we will forever be out of sync, you will never again be able to interact with me or react to my actions. I will forever see your unconcious body. You are forever locked. This may well be at the core the same looping paradox Caio Nogueira describes.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
18 mins ago
$begingroup$
When I move forward again, your physical body (and consciousness) will be interacting with my automatically behaving body (containing my now observing-only consciousness). You can't tell the difference. When I get back to the present my consciousness will be able to take over my body (or rather inhabit it) and so we will again be in sync.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
12 mins ago
$begingroup$
When I move forward again, your physical body (and consciousness) will be interacting with my automatically behaving body (containing my now observing-only consciousness). You can't tell the difference. When I get back to the present my consciousness will be able to take over my body (or rather inhabit it) and so we will again be in sync.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
12 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Yes and no....
Part of time is that not only does the past affect the future, but the future also affects the past.
By going back in time and taking note of the pickpocket, for example, you learn enough about him to file a police report, so you do so.
However, had you not gone into the past to discover what happened to your wallet, you have still changed the future, as you would not have reported it stolen had you not discovered it was stolen and not lost.
So, say instead, you were going to meet a friend for lunch, and in the future, that friend would have dropped his wallet, and lost it at your lunch. Now, he doesn't lose it...
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
But how does he travel back in time to not steal the wallet? He can't change his past actions
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@CortAmmon I changed it, thanks.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
But changing the future isn't a paradox at all. I could decide to shave my head tomorrow, or decide not to. They are mutually exclusive futures, and my actions directly determine which one will occur. Selecting among possible futures that could happen is a normal occurrence that happens with everyday choices all the time - not a paradox.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@NuclearWang but there is a difference. Your future self has already made those choices. by having your present self go back and view something that causes those choices to change, you create a paradox for your future self.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Yes and no....
Part of time is that not only does the past affect the future, but the future also affects the past.
By going back in time and taking note of the pickpocket, for example, you learn enough about him to file a police report, so you do so.
However, had you not gone into the past to discover what happened to your wallet, you have still changed the future, as you would not have reported it stolen had you not discovered it was stolen and not lost.
So, say instead, you were going to meet a friend for lunch, and in the future, that friend would have dropped his wallet, and lost it at your lunch. Now, he doesn't lose it...
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
But how does he travel back in time to not steal the wallet? He can't change his past actions
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@CortAmmon I changed it, thanks.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
But changing the future isn't a paradox at all. I could decide to shave my head tomorrow, or decide not to. They are mutually exclusive futures, and my actions directly determine which one will occur. Selecting among possible futures that could happen is a normal occurrence that happens with everyday choices all the time - not a paradox.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@NuclearWang but there is a difference. Your future self has already made those choices. by having your present self go back and view something that causes those choices to change, you create a paradox for your future self.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Yes and no....
Part of time is that not only does the past affect the future, but the future also affects the past.
By going back in time and taking note of the pickpocket, for example, you learn enough about him to file a police report, so you do so.
However, had you not gone into the past to discover what happened to your wallet, you have still changed the future, as you would not have reported it stolen had you not discovered it was stolen and not lost.
So, say instead, you were going to meet a friend for lunch, and in the future, that friend would have dropped his wallet, and lost it at your lunch. Now, he doesn't lose it...
$endgroup$
Yes and no....
Part of time is that not only does the past affect the future, but the future also affects the past.
By going back in time and taking note of the pickpocket, for example, you learn enough about him to file a police report, so you do so.
However, had you not gone into the past to discover what happened to your wallet, you have still changed the future, as you would not have reported it stolen had you not discovered it was stolen and not lost.
So, say instead, you were going to meet a friend for lunch, and in the future, that friend would have dropped his wallet, and lost it at your lunch. Now, he doesn't lose it...
edited 1 hour ago
answered 1 hour ago
Richard URichard U
5,293931
5,293931
$begingroup$
But how does he travel back in time to not steal the wallet? He can't change his past actions
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@CortAmmon I changed it, thanks.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
But changing the future isn't a paradox at all. I could decide to shave my head tomorrow, or decide not to. They are mutually exclusive futures, and my actions directly determine which one will occur. Selecting among possible futures that could happen is a normal occurrence that happens with everyday choices all the time - not a paradox.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@NuclearWang but there is a difference. Your future self has already made those choices. by having your present self go back and view something that causes those choices to change, you create a paradox for your future self.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
But how does he travel back in time to not steal the wallet? He can't change his past actions
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@CortAmmon I changed it, thanks.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
But changing the future isn't a paradox at all. I could decide to shave my head tomorrow, or decide not to. They are mutually exclusive futures, and my actions directly determine which one will occur. Selecting among possible futures that could happen is a normal occurrence that happens with everyday choices all the time - not a paradox.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@NuclearWang but there is a difference. Your future self has already made those choices. by having your present self go back and view something that causes those choices to change, you create a paradox for your future self.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
But how does he travel back in time to not steal the wallet? He can't change his past actions
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
But how does he travel back in time to not steal the wallet? He can't change his past actions
$endgroup$
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@CortAmmon I changed it, thanks.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@CortAmmon I changed it, thanks.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
But changing the future isn't a paradox at all. I could decide to shave my head tomorrow, or decide not to. They are mutually exclusive futures, and my actions directly determine which one will occur. Selecting among possible futures that could happen is a normal occurrence that happens with everyday choices all the time - not a paradox.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
But changing the future isn't a paradox at all. I could decide to shave my head tomorrow, or decide not to. They are mutually exclusive futures, and my actions directly determine which one will occur. Selecting among possible futures that could happen is a normal occurrence that happens with everyday choices all the time - not a paradox.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@NuclearWang but there is a difference. Your future self has already made those choices. by having your present self go back and view something that causes those choices to change, you create a paradox for your future self.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@NuclearWang but there is a difference. Your future self has already made those choices. by having your present self go back and view something that causes those choices to change, you create a paradox for your future self.
$endgroup$
– Richard U
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
You go back by rewinding, but your conscience does not go backwards? It is actually remembering future events relative to the time you return to you. It's like information travels backwards with you. In the first scenario you can act to undo mistakes and therefore the mistake was never done and there was no reason for the trip - That's already a paradox. In the second scenario, the same things will happen again. That is, you do the same mistakes even though you know it. What prevents you from taking corrective measures? Why, in your example, you would see the pickpocketer and could do nothing about it? Would you be able to see him from a different angle and still be unable to warn your past-yourself? Suppose you stopped your time-rewind and returned to "replay", will you be the "same one", or will another observer see you and your past-you?
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
This goes back to the philosophocal mind-brain problem - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… - which exists in various forms. For these purposes, I am assuming that mind (consciousness) is separate from the workings of the brain. Therefore the time-traveller's brain carries out all the original actions as an automaton but the mind cannot affect them in any way - only observe.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
53 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
You go back by rewinding, but your conscience does not go backwards? It is actually remembering future events relative to the time you return to you. It's like information travels backwards with you. In the first scenario you can act to undo mistakes and therefore the mistake was never done and there was no reason for the trip - That's already a paradox. In the second scenario, the same things will happen again. That is, you do the same mistakes even though you know it. What prevents you from taking corrective measures? Why, in your example, you would see the pickpocketer and could do nothing about it? Would you be able to see him from a different angle and still be unable to warn your past-yourself? Suppose you stopped your time-rewind and returned to "replay", will you be the "same one", or will another observer see you and your past-you?
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
This goes back to the philosophocal mind-brain problem - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… - which exists in various forms. For these purposes, I am assuming that mind (consciousness) is separate from the workings of the brain. Therefore the time-traveller's brain carries out all the original actions as an automaton but the mind cannot affect them in any way - only observe.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
53 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
You go back by rewinding, but your conscience does not go backwards? It is actually remembering future events relative to the time you return to you. It's like information travels backwards with you. In the first scenario you can act to undo mistakes and therefore the mistake was never done and there was no reason for the trip - That's already a paradox. In the second scenario, the same things will happen again. That is, you do the same mistakes even though you know it. What prevents you from taking corrective measures? Why, in your example, you would see the pickpocketer and could do nothing about it? Would you be able to see him from a different angle and still be unable to warn your past-yourself? Suppose you stopped your time-rewind and returned to "replay", will you be the "same one", or will another observer see you and your past-you?
$endgroup$
You go back by rewinding, but your conscience does not go backwards? It is actually remembering future events relative to the time you return to you. It's like information travels backwards with you. In the first scenario you can act to undo mistakes and therefore the mistake was never done and there was no reason for the trip - That's already a paradox. In the second scenario, the same things will happen again. That is, you do the same mistakes even though you know it. What prevents you from taking corrective measures? Why, in your example, you would see the pickpocketer and could do nothing about it? Would you be able to see him from a different angle and still be unable to warn your past-yourself? Suppose you stopped your time-rewind and returned to "replay", will you be the "same one", or will another observer see you and your past-you?
answered 1 hour ago
Christmas SnowChristmas Snow
2,291314
2,291314
$begingroup$
This goes back to the philosophocal mind-brain problem - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… - which exists in various forms. For these purposes, I am assuming that mind (consciousness) is separate from the workings of the brain. Therefore the time-traveller's brain carries out all the original actions as an automaton but the mind cannot affect them in any way - only observe.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
53 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
This goes back to the philosophocal mind-brain problem - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… - which exists in various forms. For these purposes, I am assuming that mind (consciousness) is separate from the workings of the brain. Therefore the time-traveller's brain carries out all the original actions as an automaton but the mind cannot affect them in any way - only observe.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
53 mins ago
$begingroup$
This goes back to the philosophocal mind-brain problem - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… - which exists in various forms. For these purposes, I am assuming that mind (consciousness) is separate from the workings of the brain. Therefore the time-traveller's brain carries out all the original actions as an automaton but the mind cannot affect them in any way - only observe.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
53 mins ago
$begingroup$
This goes back to the philosophocal mind-brain problem - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… - which exists in various forms. For these purposes, I am assuming that mind (consciousness) is separate from the workings of the brain. Therefore the time-traveller's brain carries out all the original actions as an automaton but the mind cannot affect them in any way - only observe.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
53 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If you do it through your mind there is no problem, that's just memory(a very good and also problematic one) or watching a movie in first person of your actions, strap a camera in your head, force yourself to follow this rules and you can do this yourself, but if you do it through external interference like magic or a machine that send you on time, that's a action that happened in the past and you stay trapped on the loop.
To break the loop paradox, you could create a "escape rope", Lets say this.
january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press the button to the escape rope, you keep living your life normaly, at january 13 of 2019 at 15:00 you see a murder, then at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you rewind time to the january 12 of 2019 at 12:59, you start the loop, then at january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press again the "escape rope" that have a command which says "if you are on a loop unmake the effect of the loop button when you press it" (frase it as you like, also yes, I code), when you arrive at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you press the button the effect of the escape rope triggers and you break out of the loop.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Yes, the loop issue is a clever notice. However, if you are bound to re-enact your past actions, you will likely press the "rewind" as if it's your first time and you loop again. Doing it differently simply means you can change things in the past.
$endgroup$
– Christmas Snow
17 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If you do it through your mind there is no problem, that's just memory(a very good and also problematic one) or watching a movie in first person of your actions, strap a camera in your head, force yourself to follow this rules and you can do this yourself, but if you do it through external interference like magic or a machine that send you on time, that's a action that happened in the past and you stay trapped on the loop.
To break the loop paradox, you could create a "escape rope", Lets say this.
january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press the button to the escape rope, you keep living your life normaly, at january 13 of 2019 at 15:00 you see a murder, then at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you rewind time to the january 12 of 2019 at 12:59, you start the loop, then at january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press again the "escape rope" that have a command which says "if you are on a loop unmake the effect of the loop button when you press it" (frase it as you like, also yes, I code), when you arrive at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you press the button the effect of the escape rope triggers and you break out of the loop.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Yes, the loop issue is a clever notice. However, if you are bound to re-enact your past actions, you will likely press the "rewind" as if it's your first time and you loop again. Doing it differently simply means you can change things in the past.
$endgroup$
– Christmas Snow
17 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If you do it through your mind there is no problem, that's just memory(a very good and also problematic one) or watching a movie in first person of your actions, strap a camera in your head, force yourself to follow this rules and you can do this yourself, but if you do it through external interference like magic or a machine that send you on time, that's a action that happened in the past and you stay trapped on the loop.
To break the loop paradox, you could create a "escape rope", Lets say this.
january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press the button to the escape rope, you keep living your life normaly, at january 13 of 2019 at 15:00 you see a murder, then at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you rewind time to the january 12 of 2019 at 12:59, you start the loop, then at january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press again the "escape rope" that have a command which says "if you are on a loop unmake the effect of the loop button when you press it" (frase it as you like, also yes, I code), when you arrive at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you press the button the effect of the escape rope triggers and you break out of the loop.
$endgroup$
If you do it through your mind there is no problem, that's just memory(a very good and also problematic one) or watching a movie in first person of your actions, strap a camera in your head, force yourself to follow this rules and you can do this yourself, but if you do it through external interference like magic or a machine that send you on time, that's a action that happened in the past and you stay trapped on the loop.
To break the loop paradox, you could create a "escape rope", Lets say this.
january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press the button to the escape rope, you keep living your life normaly, at january 13 of 2019 at 15:00 you see a murder, then at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you rewind time to the january 12 of 2019 at 12:59, you start the loop, then at january 12 of 2019 at 13:00 you press again the "escape rope" that have a command which says "if you are on a loop unmake the effect of the loop button when you press it" (frase it as you like, also yes, I code), when you arrive at january 14 of 2019 at 12:00 you press the button the effect of the escape rope triggers and you break out of the loop.
edited 45 mins ago
answered 1 hour ago
Caio NogueiraCaio Nogueira
4731312
4731312
$begingroup$
Yes, the loop issue is a clever notice. However, if you are bound to re-enact your past actions, you will likely press the "rewind" as if it's your first time and you loop again. Doing it differently simply means you can change things in the past.
$endgroup$
– Christmas Snow
17 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Yes, the loop issue is a clever notice. However, if you are bound to re-enact your past actions, you will likely press the "rewind" as if it's your first time and you loop again. Doing it differently simply means you can change things in the past.
$endgroup$
– Christmas Snow
17 mins ago
$begingroup$
Yes, the loop issue is a clever notice. However, if you are bound to re-enact your past actions, you will likely press the "rewind" as if it's your first time and you loop again. Doing it differently simply means you can change things in the past.
$endgroup$
– Christmas Snow
17 mins ago
$begingroup$
Yes, the loop issue is a clever notice. However, if you are bound to re-enact your past actions, you will likely press the "rewind" as if it's your first time and you loop again. Doing it differently simply means you can change things in the past.
$endgroup$
– Christmas Snow
17 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Your system cannot work with our understanding of physics.
Think of Schrödinger' cat. The effect most people associate to it cannot be reproduced on a macroscopic object such as a cat, but it is reproducible with particles. It is happening at every moment to every subatomic particle. But for the sake of argument, let's call some paint particles on a brick of a wall our cat particles. They can cause the paint to peel off in various patterns; You will only know when you observe them.
You passed by your backyard yesterday without paying attention to a certain brick. Today you notice some paint is peeling off that brick, forming a pattern.
You go back to the "past" to do the wallet finding thing. You think you lost it close to the wall, so now you pay attention to the brick.
The fact that you are observing them on the past means they have to collapse their wave function at that moment, so the universe decides whether and how the paint peels off at that moment. You just changed the past.
You have a paradox now. If the paint must always off to be just as you remember from the "present", then the wave function collapse in the "present" extended to the "past", meaning anything happening in the present affects and changes the "past" retroactively. Otherwise, wave function collapsing from direct "past" observations may cause changes to events anyway, and those changed will accumulate through time a la butterfly effect.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I am assuming a mind-brain separation. Isn't it physical observation that collapses the waveform? In my scenario my mind (or soul or whatever you want to call it) is merely being conscious of what the brain is doing physically. The physical activity of the brain is identical every time. In other words your eye may have collapsed the waveform the first time but your consciousness was focused on something else.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
17 mins ago
$begingroup$
If your brain will be doing the same thing everytime, you won't be able to do the wallet finding trick from the question - you will just forget the wallet in exact same fashion. Otherwise you are introducing a new observer to the past.
$endgroup$
– Renan
7 mins ago
$begingroup$
Yes. Your consciousness is the observer of your body. There is some evidence that consciousness is no more than an observer of what we do and is simply an epiphenomenon. I'll look for the references.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
30 secs ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Your system cannot work with our understanding of physics.
Think of Schrödinger' cat. The effect most people associate to it cannot be reproduced on a macroscopic object such as a cat, but it is reproducible with particles. It is happening at every moment to every subatomic particle. But for the sake of argument, let's call some paint particles on a brick of a wall our cat particles. They can cause the paint to peel off in various patterns; You will only know when you observe them.
You passed by your backyard yesterday without paying attention to a certain brick. Today you notice some paint is peeling off that brick, forming a pattern.
You go back to the "past" to do the wallet finding thing. You think you lost it close to the wall, so now you pay attention to the brick.
The fact that you are observing them on the past means they have to collapse their wave function at that moment, so the universe decides whether and how the paint peels off at that moment. You just changed the past.
You have a paradox now. If the paint must always off to be just as you remember from the "present", then the wave function collapse in the "present" extended to the "past", meaning anything happening in the present affects and changes the "past" retroactively. Otherwise, wave function collapsing from direct "past" observations may cause changes to events anyway, and those changed will accumulate through time a la butterfly effect.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I am assuming a mind-brain separation. Isn't it physical observation that collapses the waveform? In my scenario my mind (or soul or whatever you want to call it) is merely being conscious of what the brain is doing physically. The physical activity of the brain is identical every time. In other words your eye may have collapsed the waveform the first time but your consciousness was focused on something else.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
17 mins ago
$begingroup$
If your brain will be doing the same thing everytime, you won't be able to do the wallet finding trick from the question - you will just forget the wallet in exact same fashion. Otherwise you are introducing a new observer to the past.
$endgroup$
– Renan
7 mins ago
$begingroup$
Yes. Your consciousness is the observer of your body. There is some evidence that consciousness is no more than an observer of what we do and is simply an epiphenomenon. I'll look for the references.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
30 secs ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Your system cannot work with our understanding of physics.
Think of Schrödinger' cat. The effect most people associate to it cannot be reproduced on a macroscopic object such as a cat, but it is reproducible with particles. It is happening at every moment to every subatomic particle. But for the sake of argument, let's call some paint particles on a brick of a wall our cat particles. They can cause the paint to peel off in various patterns; You will only know when you observe them.
You passed by your backyard yesterday without paying attention to a certain brick. Today you notice some paint is peeling off that brick, forming a pattern.
You go back to the "past" to do the wallet finding thing. You think you lost it close to the wall, so now you pay attention to the brick.
The fact that you are observing them on the past means they have to collapse their wave function at that moment, so the universe decides whether and how the paint peels off at that moment. You just changed the past.
You have a paradox now. If the paint must always off to be just as you remember from the "present", then the wave function collapse in the "present" extended to the "past", meaning anything happening in the present affects and changes the "past" retroactively. Otherwise, wave function collapsing from direct "past" observations may cause changes to events anyway, and those changed will accumulate through time a la butterfly effect.
$endgroup$
Your system cannot work with our understanding of physics.
Think of Schrödinger' cat. The effect most people associate to it cannot be reproduced on a macroscopic object such as a cat, but it is reproducible with particles. It is happening at every moment to every subatomic particle. But for the sake of argument, let's call some paint particles on a brick of a wall our cat particles. They can cause the paint to peel off in various patterns; You will only know when you observe them.
You passed by your backyard yesterday without paying attention to a certain brick. Today you notice some paint is peeling off that brick, forming a pattern.
You go back to the "past" to do the wallet finding thing. You think you lost it close to the wall, so now you pay attention to the brick.
The fact that you are observing them on the past means they have to collapse their wave function at that moment, so the universe decides whether and how the paint peels off at that moment. You just changed the past.
You have a paradox now. If the paint must always off to be just as you remember from the "present", then the wave function collapse in the "present" extended to the "past", meaning anything happening in the present affects and changes the "past" retroactively. Otherwise, wave function collapsing from direct "past" observations may cause changes to events anyway, and those changed will accumulate through time a la butterfly effect.
edited 9 mins ago
answered 27 mins ago
RenanRenan
45.6k11106230
45.6k11106230
$begingroup$
I am assuming a mind-brain separation. Isn't it physical observation that collapses the waveform? In my scenario my mind (or soul or whatever you want to call it) is merely being conscious of what the brain is doing physically. The physical activity of the brain is identical every time. In other words your eye may have collapsed the waveform the first time but your consciousness was focused on something else.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
17 mins ago
$begingroup$
If your brain will be doing the same thing everytime, you won't be able to do the wallet finding trick from the question - you will just forget the wallet in exact same fashion. Otherwise you are introducing a new observer to the past.
$endgroup$
– Renan
7 mins ago
$begingroup$
Yes. Your consciousness is the observer of your body. There is some evidence that consciousness is no more than an observer of what we do and is simply an epiphenomenon. I'll look for the references.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
30 secs ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I am assuming a mind-brain separation. Isn't it physical observation that collapses the waveform? In my scenario my mind (or soul or whatever you want to call it) is merely being conscious of what the brain is doing physically. The physical activity of the brain is identical every time. In other words your eye may have collapsed the waveform the first time but your consciousness was focused on something else.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
17 mins ago
$begingroup$
If your brain will be doing the same thing everytime, you won't be able to do the wallet finding trick from the question - you will just forget the wallet in exact same fashion. Otherwise you are introducing a new observer to the past.
$endgroup$
– Renan
7 mins ago
$begingroup$
Yes. Your consciousness is the observer of your body. There is some evidence that consciousness is no more than an observer of what we do and is simply an epiphenomenon. I'll look for the references.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
30 secs ago
$begingroup$
I am assuming a mind-brain separation. Isn't it physical observation that collapses the waveform? In my scenario my mind (or soul or whatever you want to call it) is merely being conscious of what the brain is doing physically. The physical activity of the brain is identical every time. In other words your eye may have collapsed the waveform the first time but your consciousness was focused on something else.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
17 mins ago
$begingroup$
I am assuming a mind-brain separation. Isn't it physical observation that collapses the waveform? In my scenario my mind (or soul or whatever you want to call it) is merely being conscious of what the brain is doing physically. The physical activity of the brain is identical every time. In other words your eye may have collapsed the waveform the first time but your consciousness was focused on something else.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
17 mins ago
$begingroup$
If your brain will be doing the same thing everytime, you won't be able to do the wallet finding trick from the question - you will just forget the wallet in exact same fashion. Otherwise you are introducing a new observer to the past.
$endgroup$
– Renan
7 mins ago
$begingroup$
If your brain will be doing the same thing everytime, you won't be able to do the wallet finding trick from the question - you will just forget the wallet in exact same fashion. Otherwise you are introducing a new observer to the past.
$endgroup$
– Renan
7 mins ago
$begingroup$
Yes. Your consciousness is the observer of your body. There is some evidence that consciousness is no more than an observer of what we do and is simply an epiphenomenon. I'll look for the references.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
30 secs ago
$begingroup$
Yes. Your consciousness is the observer of your body. There is some evidence that consciousness is no more than an observer of what we do and is simply an epiphenomenon. I'll look for the references.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
30 secs ago
add a comment |
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$begingroup$
When, you go back can you change the past? or you just watch history unfold as a spectator locked in your own body until you arrive at the time of the rewind?
$endgroup$
– Caio Nogueira
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@ Caio Nogueira - That's the point. You cannot change anything. You are just a spectator although you experience every sensation in perfect detail.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
The trip back to the present sounds a bit scary - you're trapped in your own body, and your conscious mind is unable to interact with the world in any way.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Nuclear Wang - and travelling backwards must be even weirder!
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
What happens to your physical presence while you travel back? How would people around you experience your travel? If you travel forward at normal speed, you would never catch up with the present, since time moves forward for everyone else around you by the time you travel back.
$endgroup$
– Soeren D.
49 mins ago