Let's Talk About Hypothetical Time Travel

[SlammedZero]

I got into a friendly debate with a friend about time traveling. Their main argument that it could never exist was because of the grandfather paradox. For anybody not familiar with this, it is paradox which stats that if a person travels to the past and kills their own grandfather before the conception of their father or mother, that would prevent the time traveler's existence. So, if your grandfather is dead, you were never born to go back in time to murder him in the first place. Ok, I get that. Seems logical. My first question is why would you even do that? My second question is if this scenario creates a loop in time? If you did kill him, making you non-existent, there is no you to go back and kill him. That means that he would live on as he was before, thus allowing him to have offspring creating the ability for you to be born anyway.

Then there are alternative timelines. These are my favorite. Maybe you do go back and kill your grandpa. This would just create an alternative timeline in which two realities are possible. One were you cease to exist and one where you do. Instead of changing only one reality, you actually create two that split-off from your actions. So maybe time travel on one plane of reality is impossible and time travel would actually be jumping from you one reality to another.

I've always loved the concept of time travel. It's fun to think about and debate. I'm not saying that I truly believe it is possible, but, I am an open-minded individual that believes that anything is possible. I always thought that the Back to the Future movies were really good at playing out all the scenarios. I only have a problem with one of them. Back to the Future II. When Marty traveled forward 30 years to 2015, wouldn't he have entered a world in which he suddenly went missing back in 1985? This is where the alternative timeline would come into play. One more thing about the movie. Like I mentioned above about time loops, is Marty stuck in one? He is the reason he exists. He went back in time and was the reason his parents got together, which, ultimately allowed him to be born. He was born, lived, and then in his future had to return to the past to make sure he was born. Is he in a time loop?

This kind of stuff will make your mind melt. Especially when you get deep into the quantum mechanics of things.

So forum friends, what say you?

 

[Runwildboys]

First, if you killed your grandfather before your parents were conceived, why would you then have two timelines, and how would you exist in one of them? Both timelines would still start before your parents were conceived. (BTW, why does it have to be your Grandfather, instead of just one of your parents?)

Second, Marty returned to the present to a time before anyone would've known he'd left.

 

[Chrispierce]

Funny...I just watched the Back to The Future series a couple days ago. And of course you can’t really go back in time. It’s fun to fantasize about though,and yes ultimately the variables of altering the future would be too great. The only conceivable way to do it,would be to be isolated from all contact and civilization if it were possible. I must admit,I still would say “no” at first meeting of my ex wife regardless of consequences to mankind.

 

[cowboyec]

Ive wondered if this might be an explanation for Ufo's.
We assume they are alien...but maybe they're us..from the future.
If nasa ever makes a robot astronaut that is 4ft tall with large black eyes and grey skin...then we'll know...they are us.

 

[Fletch]

I got into a friendly debate with a friend about time traveling. Their main argument that it could never exist was because of the grandfather paradox. For anybody not familiar with this, it is paradox which stats that if a person travels to the past and kills their own grandfather before the conception of their father or mother, that would prevent the time traveler's existence. So, if your grandfather is dead, you were never born to go back in time to murder him in the first place. Ok, I get that. Seems logical. My first question is why would you even do that? My second question is if this scenario creates a loop in time? If you did kill him, making you non-existent, there is no you to go back and kill him. That means that he would live on as he was before, thus allowing him to have offspring creating the ability for you to be born anyway.

Then there are alternative timelines. These are my favorite. Maybe you do go back and kill your grandpa. This would just create an alternative timeline in which two realities are possible. One were you cease to exist and one where you do. Instead of changing only one reality, you actually create two that split-off from your actions. So maybe time travel on one plane of reality is impossible and time travel would actually be jumping from you one reality to another.

I've always loved the concept of time travel. It's fun to think about and debate. I'm not saying that I truly believe it is possible, but, I am an open-minded individual that believes that anything is possible. I always thought that the Back to the Future movies were really good at playing out all the scenarios. I only have a problem with one of them. Back to the Future II. When Marty traveled forward 30 years to 2015, wouldn't he have entered a world in which he suddenly went missing back in 1985? This is where the alternative timeline would come into play. One more thing about the movie. Like I mentioned above about time loops, is Marty stuck in one? He is the reason he exists. He went back in time and was the reason his parents got together, which, ultimately allowed him to be born. He was born, lived, and then in his future had to return to the past to make sure he was born. Is he in a time loop?

This kind of stuff will make your mind melt. Especially when you get deep into the quantum mechanics of things.

So forum friends, what say you?

You’re just trying to justify your motive to kill your own grandfather, you sick, sack of ****!

 

[YosemiteSam]

Lots of stuff to talk about here, but alternative timelines is one. The thing about that is the following. The premise that all timelines already exist. If you view them as train tracks. The question is, which track are you on and each decision is like a track switch.

My real though is the following. Time moves in one direction. In other words, going back in time is not possible. Going forward in time absolutely is. The issue is, while you go forward in time. (ie, your perception of time skips time) Time itself still moves forward. (it has too as you will see)

Tim and John are 30 years old and standing together. Tim hops into a forward heading time machine. He goes forward 3 years in 5 seconds. When Tim arrives he meets John who is now 33 years old while Tim is still only 30 years old.

In other words, even though Tim jumped 3 years into the future in 5 seconds. Those three years STILL happened otherwise, John wouldn't be 33 years old. (time does not change, just your perception and the affect of time on you does)

So, if you get very close to a blackhole. Time slows down to the point it can almost stop. (KEY, pay attention!!!) So, instead of a time machine, Tim got real to a blackhole (ie, a time machine) He spent 5 seconds close to it, but to John it seem like three years. From a time aspect, he aged Tim aged 5 seconds and John aged 3 years. (Time machine!)

The same works based on how fast you're moving. If you jump forward in time (your perception anyhow) That in no way prevents time from happening. It's just it's perception on you because everything is relative! (sound familiar? General Theory of Relativity? Einstein was incredibly BRILLIANT!!!)

ie, time travel is nothing but a persons perception of reality. Or the relativity of time to each person.

It's also the reason we've never seen anyone from the future in the past. ....that just isn't possible because time only moves in one direction!

Merry Christmas! (I was in a time machine and it's Christmas 2025 here!!!!)

 

[Runwildboys]

Lots of stuff to talk about here, but alternative timelines is one. The thing about that is the following. The premise that all timelines already exist. If you view them as train tracks. The question is, which track are you on and each decision is like a track switch.

My real though is the following. Time moves in one direction. In other words, going back in time is not possible. Going forward in time absolutely is. The issue is, while you go forward in time. (ie, your perception of time skips time) Time itself still moves forward. (it has too as you will see)

Tim and John are 30 years old and standing together. Tim hops into a forward heading time machine. He goes forward 3 years in 5 seconds. When Tim arrives he meets John who is now 33 years old while Tim is still only 30 years old.

In other words, even though Tim jumped 3 years into the future in 5 seconds. Those three years STILL happened otherwise, John wouldn't be 33 years old. (time does not change, just your perception and the affect of time on you does)

So, if you get very close to a blackhole. Time slows down to the point it can almost stop. (KEY, pay attention!!!) So, instead of a time machine, Tim got real to a blackhole (ie, a time machine) He spent 5 seconds close to it, but to John it seem like three years. From a time aspect, he aged Tim aged 5 seconds and John aged 3 years. (Time machine!)

The same works based on how fast you're moving. If you jump forward in time (your perception anyhow) That in no way prevents time from happening. It's just it's perception on you because everything is relative! (sound familiar? General Theory of Relativity? Einstein was incredibly BRILLIANT!!!)

ie, time travel is nothing but a persons perception of reality. Or the relativity of time to each person.

It's also the reason we've never seen anyone from the future in the past. ....that just isn't possible because time only moves in one direction!

Merry Christmas!

So tell us something we didn't know, mutha******!

 

[YosemiteSam]

So tell us something we didn't know, mutha******!

Tagalog is the language of the Philippines?

 

[Tabascocat]

I believe in the concept that we can see our past through light and distance

Well, not physically possible since we can't go faster than the speed of light but theoreticaly we can.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I believe in the concept that we can see our past through light and distance

Well, not physically possible since we can't go faster than the speed of light but theoreticaly we can.

Distance is nothing but a movie of our past playing at the speed of light!

In theory, this is the only form of time travel into the past!!!! You just have Zero ability to alter it.

 

[Tabascocat]

Distance is nothing but a movie of our past playing at the speed of light!

In theory, this is the only form of time travel into the past!!!!

In one of my physics classes in college, I will never forget one of his lectures. He basically said that if we went far out enough into the universe, we could see our past through light, not like actually viewing it but theoreticaly. Of course, we would have to catch up to that particular light and pass it up

 

[Runwildboys]

Tagalog is the language of the Philippines?

Knew that.

 

[Runwildboys]

In one of my physics classes in college, I will never forget one of his lectures. He basically said that if we went far out enough into the universe, we could see our past through light, not like actually viewing it but theoreticaly. Of course, we would have to catch up to that particular light and pass it up

When you look at the stars, you are literally seeing the past.......That's so awesome!

Okay, technically everything you see is in the past, but some stars are billions of years ago.

 

[Tabascocat]

When you look at the stars, you are literally seeing the past.......That's so awesome!

Okay, technically everything you see is in the past, but some stars are billions of years ago.

And a lot of those stars are probably burned out by now, we just don't know it yet.

 

[Runwildboys]

And a lot of those stars are probably burned out by now, we just don't know it yet.

There's one in the area of Orion's Belt that's expected to go supernova very soon, as in we might get to see it. It's supposed to increase in brightness for I think about a month, until it's nearly as bright as the moon.

 

[Tabascocat]

There's one in the area of Orion's Belt that's expected to go supernova very soon, as in we might get to see it. It's supposed to increase in brightness for I think about a month, until it's nearly as bright as the moon.

It would be cool to witness one, it would have to be at the very end of its life for us to do so. I imagine that final event would still elapse over hundreds of years.....

 

[Runwildboys]

It would be cool to witness one, it would have to be at the very end of its life for us to do so. I imagine that final event would still elapse over hundreds of years.....

Not sure what you mean.

 

[Hardline]

Lots of stuff to talk about here, but alternative timelines is one. The thing about that is the following. The premise that all timelines already exist. If you view them as train tracks. The question is, which track are you on and each decision is like a track switch.

My real though is the following. Time moves in one direction. In other words, going back in time is not possible. Going forward in time absolutely is. The issue is, while you go forward in time. (ie, your perception of time skips time) Time itself still moves forward. (it has too as you will see)

Tim and John are 30 years old and standing together. Tim hops into a forward heading time machine. He goes forward 3 years in 5 seconds. When Tim arrives he meets John who is now 33 years old while Tim is still only 30 years old.

In other words, even though Tim jumped 3 years into the future in 5 seconds. Those three years STILL happened otherwise, John wouldn't be 33 years old. (time does not change, just your perception and the affect of time on you does)

So, if you get very close to a blackhole. Time slows down to the point it can almost stop. (KEY, pay attention!!!) So, instead of a time machine, Tim got real to a blackhole (ie, a time machine) He spent 5 seconds close to it, but to John it seem like three years. From a time aspect, he aged Tim aged 5 seconds and John aged 3 years. (Time machine!)

The same works based on how fast you're moving. If you jump forward in time (your perception anyhow) That in no way prevents time from happening. It's just it's perception on you because everything is relative! (sound familiar? General Theory of Relativity? Einstein was incredibly BRILLIANT!!!)

ie, time travel is nothing but a persons perception of reality. Or the relativity of time to each person.

It's also the reason we've never seen anyone from the future in the past. ....that just isn't possible because time only moves in one direction!

Merry Christmas! (I was in a time machine and it's Christmas 2025 here!!!!)

Carl Sagan. Is that you?

 

[Them]

I got into a friendly debate with a friend about time traveling. Their main argument that it could never exist was because of the grandfather paradox. For anybody not familiar with this, it is paradox which stats that if a person travels to the past and kills their own grandfather before the conception of their father or mother, that would prevent the time traveler's existence. So, if your grandfather is dead, you were never born to go back in time to murder him in the first place. Ok, I get that. Seems logical. My first question is why would you even do that? My second question is if this scenario creates a loop in time? If you did kill him, making you non-existent, there is no you to go back and kill him. That means that he would live on as he was before, thus allowing him to have offspring creating the ability for you to be born anyway.

Then there are alternative timelines. These are my favorite. Maybe you do go back and kill your grandpa. This would just create an alternative timeline in which two realities are possible. One were you cease to exist and one where you do. Instead of changing only one reality, you actually create two that split-off from your actions. So maybe time travel on one plane of reality is impossible and time travel would actually be jumping from you one reality to another.

I've always loved the concept of time travel. It's fun to think about and debate. I'm not saying that I truly believe it is possible, but, I am an open-minded individual that believes that anything is possible. I always thought that the Back to the Future movies were really good at playing out all the scenarios. I only have a problem with one of them. Back to the Future II. When Marty traveled forward 30 years to 2015, wouldn't he have entered a world in which he suddenly went missing back in 1985? This is where the alternative timeline would come into play. One more thing about the movie. Like I mentioned above about time loops, is Marty stuck in one? He is the reason he exists. He went back in time and was the reason his parents got together, which, ultimately allowed him to be born. He was born, lived, and then in his future had to return to the past to make sure he was born. Is he in a time loop?

This kind of stuff will make your mind melt. Especially when you get deep into the quantum mechanics of things.

So forum friends, what say you?

...Lots to consider there for sure...On Marty going back to get his parents together...I always assumed they got together without him in the first place....He goes back and by accident creates a paradox...that he must correct...and in the movie he does.
I'm not sure whether I believe in TTravel or not...I also believe that I could never trust anyone to go back in our past.
Doesn't the "Mandela Effect" consider that small things have been changed...things that many may remember differently ???

Also I have heard that scientist can now send small bits of information into the future. (Not sure exactly how...atomic size black holes maybe.) They are supposedly working on extending the reach.. to further in the future.

 

[Tabascocat]

Not sure what you mean.

I was wondering how long of an event it would be to witness a stars death in real time. Does a star magically turn off in a second or does it take hundreds of years for the process. Would we live long enough to see the light go out? Questions like those.