Time Travel

[Alley Cat]

Time travel is a such a controversial topic, mostly because many people cannot fathom such a thing, and also because time itself is something pretty controversial.

The reason I write this is because we read "The Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury in my English class. If you aren't familiar, it's about time travel, and how if you change even the TINIEST thing in the past, it can affect the future in a drastic way.

Some other things we talked about were:

1. Is it possible to meet yourself in time?

2. Is time travel even possible?

3. Would you time travel? Why? Why not?

Those are just questions to get some discussion going, after a few, I'm going to post my thoughts on the matter. Until then, ciao~

 

[Zet]

1. Yes it is possible to meet yourself, but theories suggest that you would tear apart the space-time continuum.

2. Einstein's theory of relativity says it's possible but with the laws of physics we know today says it's impossible.

3. I would time travel just to see historic moments in time(and see how people lived back then) and collect rare artifacts.

 

[~VladKun~]

If Steins;Gate has told me anything about time travel is...DON'T DO IT

...but if time travel were possible, I'd do it just to see what it's like :)

 

[-Jared-]

If Steins;Gate has told me anything about time travel is...DON'T DO IT

...but if time travel were possible, I'd do it just to see what it's like :)

XD Ahaha, that's exactly what I thought. ^__^

Anyways: If I could Time Travel, I most definitely would NOT ENGAGE IN TIME TRAVEL. The ramifications of going back in time and screwing up even the smallest thing scare me WAY too much. What if I accidentally prevent someone important from being born or something, or accidentally get someone killed and they were important, or whatever. Really, if Time Travel were ever discovered, I would personally want it outlawed. >__>

 

[Alley Cat]

On the matter of meeting yourself, I think that you can only see your past self. Not your future self. This being because, you don't exist in the future, as it has not happened and you could die at any time. That, plus, taking a time machine from 2011, would remove you from the present day, and if you aren't here today, you won't be here tomorrow. So, if you were to go 20 years into the future, you'd be missing for the twenty years, only reappearing as yourself that went in the time machine. If that makes sense.

 

[Yoshikko]

1. Is it possible to meet yourself in time?
I don't think so. The moment you travel through time, you create a parallel universe. So at that point, there are really two of everyone - in the primary universe you lived in, and in the tangent one you created. It's impossible for those two universes to cross, so that would mean that you'd never be able to meet yourself. This is just how I think that time travel would be.

2. Is time travel even possible?
If anything, it'd only be possible to travel back in time. And once you travel back in time, it becomes the present, which means you can't travel to your 'own' time anymore because that would be travelling to the future, which is not possible. I think this isn't possible because the future is something that is not stated, it hasn't happened yet and therefore you can't travel to it. If you travel back in time, the tangent universe you create starts at that point of impact, and so there is no future yet in that universe. The past has already taken place on the other hand. It's the same concept as to why you can't predict the future - it hasn't happened yet and therefore you can't predict it.

3. Would you time travel? Why? Why not?
I wouldn't do it because I wouldn't be able to get back anymore, and I would be scared. I don't think that I would feel at home, I would feel alone and out of place. Also, it is not something to mess with. I don't want to destroy anything. Also, if you'd travel through time, the future would have a different outcome, and I would be afraid to not be sure about the changes.


This whole thing reminded me of something in which I'm probably as interested in as time travel, namely paradoxes. A known time travel paradox, is the following one. A man is hunting when someone shoots him. Surviving, he resolves to go back in time to stop the sniper. Appearing at the place of the incident, he sees someone approaching, he shoots them, believing that they are the sniper. Later, he realises that the man he shot was a past version of himself, and so he was both the sniper and the victim.

Another one is the Grandfather Paradox, where a time traveller goes back in time to kill his grandfather, before his father or mother was conceived, to prevent his own birth. By doing so, he precludes his own travel to the past by cancelling his own existence.

​

I just thought this was maybe slightly related and very interesting, just to share.

 

[psyanic]

1. Is it possible to meet yourself in time?
Yes, apparently so. If one were to travel back in time, they take themselves from their own universe and move to the past universe. Also, there are plenty of theories with ripping the whole dimension and whatnot.

2. Is time travel even possible?
Einstein said so, but I doubt it.

3. Would you time travel? Why? Why not?
It would be a fun experience, but I'd decline. It would be really awesome to see how things really were in history, such as Jesus or Buddha, just someone major. But I could end up changing history because of my curiosity, so no, I'm not up for a risk that high.

 

[Livewire]

As temping as Time travel would be, imagine how many things could go wrong if you were to tamper too much. You could seriously alter how the world is, simply by being there. (See Chaos Theory & the Butterfly Effect)

However, maybe things would end up better? I could go back to 1865 and 1963, warn Kincoln, MLK and JFK about thier assassinations. So many what ifs, though.

 

[Alex]

First off, thank you Alley Cat, I just finished downloading the A Sound of Thunder audiobook and will have a great time listening to it tonight. I love this topic and had no idea Bradbury had written a short story about it.


1. Is it possible to meet yourself in time?
It is not possible. In theory, it is, but if it had happened, you would already know about it. Which means it's impossible.

2. Is time travel even possible?
Unfortunately, time travel is not possible. Unless we are incredibly stealthy about it, I think it would be incredibly hard not to leave trace of time travel. With trace comes the butterfly effect, and inevitably proof that time travel is possible. And that's why I come back to my point above, if time travel was possible, we would already know about it.

3. Would you time travel? Why? Why not?
Definitely. I think anyone would take this opportunity up. There are certain eras I would love to go back to and see what life was like. And of course, I'd want to travel to the absolute beginning of time to settle whether or not a God exists. Dunno if it's possible to pinpoint the beginning of time, but the possibility of time travel does suggest that we can measure a definite beginning and end to time.

 

[pokecole]

If people are able to time travel, then we practially already destroyed the universe because even if something is outlawed, someone somewhere is going to do it no matter what and prolly destroy the universe so, NO TIME TRAVEL.

 

[femtrooper]

1. Is it possible to meet yourself in time?
Interesting, but totally creepy. I'd do it maybe, but it would alter my present self, I know it. So I wouldn't do it...it's weird cause it would mean that I'd already met myself who I am now...ahhhhhh, I can't even explain it, it's too ridiculous and awesome. lol But yes, I would enjoy it, and do it if there were not any consequences.

2. Is time travel even possible?
I think it is, just not now. It may be do able in 1000 years, or maybe even 5000 years from now. But one day it will be possible. We'll find a way. Just not during my lifetime, or any lifetimes after mine for awhile!

3. Would you time travel? Why? Why not?
I would...but knowing that I could really screw up the present would make me NOT want to do it. HOWEVER! If there weren't any consequences, I would go back in time to tons of eras and time periods. Definitely see Ancient Egypt, and it sounds weird, but I'd go back to the 90s because I miss it so much! XD

 

[Wings Don't Cry]

I wonder if someone went back in time to change something, would it destroy what we know as the present and recreate it or would it create a completely separate reality leaving ours untouched minus the people who went back in time.

1. Is it possible to meet yourself in time?
If Vandal Savage has taught me anything, it's that a time machine can't send you back to a time where you already exist.

2. Is time travel even possible?
I wouldn't completely doubt its existence but i think it would be best if no one attempted it.

3. Would you time travel? Why? Why not?
I would not simply because tampering with time and space seems way too risky and I don't think I'd like to find out if an omnipotent being would stop us or if time actually has a beginning or an end.

 

[The Nightmare]

Is it possible to meet yourself in time?
well yes if your doing something.
Is time travel even possible?
I don't think so but in the future generations yes.
Would you time travel? Why? Why not?
No, because messing with time can make you face consequences in the future and it might also destroy the earth and time.

 

[Kura]

I like where I am now in life, so I wouldn't want to time travel. However, time is an interesting concept.. and if I could go back without changing the future I don't think I would. I feel life is about seizing the opportunity at hand to make a better future and present for yourself. I don't see how going back in the past could change things other than to give myself more time to devote to the people who I love and who love me instead of to the people who only pretended to love me. But if time is fluid.. what's the point in that? I just see the point if it doesn't change the future. I mean it would be wonderful to visit my grandmother when she was healthy, and my grandfather when he was alive, but there wouldn't be a.. "yin and yang" there.. would the memory of them be cherished as dearly? Does anyone cherish every single moment with the ones they love as if they were going to die the next second? I just feel like those fleeting moments are supposed to be there for a reason.
And sometimes, tragically, people are meant to die.. because it makes the rest of the world realize that the choices they make now should be thought-out and caring ones.

 

[Rogue planet]

When people talk about time travel they always primarily think about travelling backwards in time.

Imo, it will one day be possible to travel forwards in time, but never backwards. All I've got to say.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

When people talk about time travel they always primarily think about travelling backwards in time.

Imo, it will one day be possible to travel forwards in time, but never backwards. All I've got to say.

Many theorists are postulating the opposite. They believe that it would only be possible to travel backwards in time. Traveling forwards would involve cryogenically freezing yourself and you being defrosted at the desired time. Of course, this is all pure speculation.

 

[Physco]

I could see how you could go into the past seeing that its already happened.
But what would I go back to see? If you watch the TV series that I do, Terra Nova, then I would go back to prehistoric ages and start my own colony. I would then be known in history books as the one and only founding father. I would save our possible hazardous future. I wouldnt see how we could even hope to travel to the past/future. But you know that how space-time continuum, I could end up ripping open a portal that could destroy the whole past, present, and future leaving us with nothing but death. But also then again in the late 1800's and early 1900's people laughed at the thought of men on the moon. So I say its either way. UNLESS we could advance in technology within the next 10-20 years and be able to without any harm then I would say go for it. That doesnt necessarily mean that we will, I am pretty sure because I have seen in magizines hovering cars possibly coming to the future. That would be totaly awesome... (Off-Topic). Anyways I say yes it is possible.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I'd like to add that if traveling to the future is possible, that might means that the future is predetermined and we don't have free will.

 

[Lord Varion]

1. Is it possible to meet yourself in time?
As Cave Johnson said '' The boys down in the lab say, if you see yourself in this time travelling test, do not make contact, you'll mess up space and time, so just let the handsome devil walk on by.''
2. Is time travel even possible?
I believe, we are all slowly time travelling into the future as we speak, by the most obvious answer, living, as we live time is slowly moving forward, there for we are travelling.
3. Would you time travel? Why? Why not?
I would, but I'd keep my distance from everything in the past. Just to not screw things up...

 

[Cordelia]

The Vulcan Science Directorate has determined that time travel is impossible. T'Pol, Star Trek Enterprise

1. Is it possible to meet yourself in time?
I'd like to think so since I see time AND space as malleable things. Right now we live ni the space-time continuum where time is linear, but I believe there is a time-space continuum where space is linear and time is not. So you could walk ten feet and be in the future or walk backwards and be in the past. Basically, you could see the present, past, and future all at once, so of course you'd be able to meet yourself in time.

2. Is time travel even possible?
If space can be bent, then time can be bent and I do believe time travel is possible.

3. Would you time travel? Why? Why not?
I'd like to travel in the past to casually observe history as it occurs and see what things have been manipulated by winning factions and et cetera.