I just watched this interesting video talking about temporal paradoxes and how we can travel forward but not back because of the relativity of time. I really like the theory and it makes sense to me. How can we go back in time (unless it is just for observation and we are unable to participate) when it would prevent us from having to have to go back in the first place so it would never have occurred. That makes not sense to me. However, the past being able to see the future because the past would not be able to exact any change in it (other then maybe getting the lottery numbers and such to take back with them).
You can travel forwards, but not backwards
- Thread starter kimberlyd
- Start date
PurpleGuardian
Temporal Novice
To travel to the past one would most likely have to travel through a wormhole to not only a point in time, but also a place in the universe. The planet we live on is constantly in motion, therefore this moment is taking place in a different place in the universe than the next moment. So to travel back in time without moving from the current position of the Earth would lead to the time traveler landing in empty space.
This is how I always felt about Time Travel, but it always lead me to wonder exactly what the "future" means. For example, if a time machine is created that could allow and individual to travel forward into time, how much of a jump ahead would you need to go in order to reach the "future". Could this be just 1 second ahead in time? If so, then traveling into the future has the ability to creates time paradoxes as well. I think the major paradox that can happen would be the existence of the same individual twice at one exact moment in time, and being able to go into the future wouldn't necessarily avoid this. As I had mentioned in a previous post, I believe that there is a finite amount of matter in the universe, and traveling to a point where you already exist would add additional matter to the universe that may create unforeseen consequences.
AskLaplace
Temporal Novice
Actually, there are a lot of theories going around. Two of them is most common to me. The theory of Causal Loops and the theory of Multiverse.
Causal loops mean that every event works out alright even when you changed the past. Consider the Terminator movie, John Connor's father is from the future, he is sent to the past so that he is conceived. This is a causal loop, everything worked out alright. Meaning the past heads to a future that will eventually start the past that heads to it.
Multiverse on the other hand is different. It says that if you go back and change the past, you would be put in a different universe, hence, no paradoxes. In other words, what you changed isn't your past but some other you's past.
Causal loops mean that every event works out alright even when you changed the past. Consider the Terminator movie, John Connor's father is from the future, he is sent to the past so that he is conceived. This is a causal loop, everything worked out alright. Meaning the past heads to a future that will eventually start the past that heads to it.
Multiverse on the other hand is different. It says that if you go back and change the past, you would be put in a different universe, hence, no paradoxes. In other words, what you changed isn't your past but some other you's past.
If I were ever to time travel, I would go with the Casual Loop theory as my hoped for outcome .Then, I wouldn't have to worry that if I sneezed, 10,000 people would suddenly cease to exist, or like that movie where the woman stepped on the butterfly and the whole future of mankind changed. The other two theories just have too much responsibility.
Mylo.X.
Quantum Scribe
The only way I think time-travel will happen, is a one-way trip forward into the future. If a vehicle was invented that could travel the speed of light, then the occupants would reach 50 years into the future in a MUCH quicker time period than the remainder of us who are not in the vehicle. We would age 50 years, while they would age about 5 minutes.
Dizzie
Temporal Navigator
I think that the trouble we have figuring out causation and the possible effects of time travel doesn't necessarily preclude its possibility, either forwards or backwards. As a metaphor, I remember reading that scientists prior to the early 1800s believed that traveling at the projected speed of steam locomotives would be impossible as the pressure would cause blood to splurt from the riders' nostrils. Sometimes, things work themselves in spite of our dismissals.
LOL I think I read that somewhere too. They also believed that the speed that many race car drivers drive at would do the same thing. Then again many believed that the world was flat and that we were the center of the universe also. Just because it is not a possibility now does not mean that it would never be possible.
Pinoy Jade
Temporal Novice
i guess we can travel back to the past. Black holes are mysteries and i guess those mysteries hold a way and a door to change back or move to the past. Time can be altered through speed also, if we can create a fast speed that can go beyond the imagination of Physics
thomas pendrake
Temporal Novice
I seem to remember that Roger Penrose, in his book The Emperor's New Mind mentioned some biological phenomena that respond to stimuli before they occur. The uncertainty principle demands that any particle be "smeared" in time, allowing for this type of phenomenon. This, however, would not be involved in a person traveling backwards any meaningful time, or "jumping" forward.
Michael Janks
Temporal Novice
As I understand the past can only be observed and not changed therefore you are able to change the future by the selection of choice you make from these past events.
So My personal Theory is that the Past Present and future are one Time Line.
When we are in the present, We feel the emotion and experience relief as well as dread, fear courage etc. so when in the present state of time we feel all emotions at once.
The future on the other hand, we can only anticipate what our feelings are going to be!!!
The past, We are only able to remember the emotions we had and to some extent block them and they allow us to change the emotions we have in the present, by learning from the past emotions.
The present we are able to control 2 time lines by changing the now and the repercussions or decisions we can change having learned from the past and take them one step further into the present
So what about the past??? If the future is a time line which is coming towards us and the past is moving away from us surely the past continues to move further and further from us as we add the present to it
Therefore the past dose not just end once it is over but it continues to move away from us and is still an active time line.
So the past present and future are all one in the time line
So My personal Theory is that the Past Present and future are one Time Line.
When we are in the present, We feel the emotion and experience relief as well as dread, fear courage etc. so when in the present state of time we feel all emotions at once.
The future on the other hand, we can only anticipate what our feelings are going to be!!!
The past, We are only able to remember the emotions we had and to some extent block them and they allow us to change the emotions we have in the present, by learning from the past emotions.
The present we are able to control 2 time lines by changing the now and the repercussions or decisions we can change having learned from the past and take them one step further into the present
So what about the past??? If the future is a time line which is coming towards us and the past is moving away from us surely the past continues to move further and further from us as we add the present to it
Therefore the past dose not just end once it is over but it continues to move away from us and is still an active time line.
So the past present and future are all one in the time line
Darby
Epochal Historian
Unfortunately you really don't want a vehicle that travels at the speed of light. Going from "here" to "there" wouldn't be a five minute trip to 50 years in the future. It would be an instantaneous trip from the present to the infinitely distant future. In other words, your trip terminates at the end of time (whatever that is). Equally bad is the fact that spacetime at the speed of light, from your perspective, folds up into a point (actually a singularity) directly in from of you. So you will make contact at the speed of light with a point particle containing all the mass of the universe. Ouch! Even if you could survive that you can't navigate to any particular place...the entire universe is a point. Finding the intersection of 3rd and 33rd in Some City on Whatever Planet would be somewhat problematic.