Re: Time Claim
Ian Webb ( perelman@ix.netcom.com )
Thu, 31 Dec 98 15:12:33 -0700
>> sorry if that makes no sense.. time travel always confuses me.
>
>Ok.. let's see if I understand this.. feel free to correct me if
>I got part of this wrong. ;)
>
>Person A learns there is a lottery/horse race/etc in several days..
>that person videotapes themself 2 days before the event.. the day
>after the event, Person A aqquires the winning lottery numbers/race
>results/whatever, and sends that info to the time projector person.
>That info is then sent back in time, to approximately the time at
>which the videotape is made.. Person A then takes the numbers he is
>sent and buys a lottery ticket/bets on a race/whatever, and wins some
>money.
>
>Now.. according to my theory, this would create an alternate timeline..
>because in the original series of events, Person A did not win any
>money.. Personally I find paradoxes hard to understand, which is
>probably why the multiple timeline idea makes sense to me. I still
>think this *could* work tho.. I think it's best explained by Q
>in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series finale.. "you're doing it
>now.. you did it before, and you'll do it again" (or something to that
>effect..) The first time _a version of_ Person A does this, nothing will
>happen.. because no one sent him information back in time.. however,
>the information *he* sent, creates a new timeline for another version
>of himself. That person would then send the information back in time
>to *another* version of himself.. a repeating time loop.. once it
>starts, you did win the lottery.. so you do win the lottery, so you
>*will* win the lottery.. does that make any sense?
Okay.. I think I see what's happening here.. but I think the
alternate-timeline theory still has some problems with paradoxes -- what
if the version of person A who RECIEVED the information chooses not to
send it back to the past version of person A? Would the future version of
person A still know the information? If so, where would it come from? Or
would they have NO CHOICE but to send it back? I think this -- not
sending the information back once you recieve it -- would be the most
interesting test you could do of time travel. Of course, there's also the
problem of how you objectively observe such an effect, since the rest of
the world would change as well. Interesting.
"The Metaphysics Of Star Trek" had a good explanation of all the
logical/philosophical issues involved with time travel, I can't find my
copy right now though..
Anyway, I think I understand the process now better.. thanks for
clarifying it.