-
BC
13.6kHere we have the new and improved time-traveling machine. I've bought tickets for two trips--one to Rome in 24 during the Reign of Tiberius and the other to Boston, 2224. I want to know what Rome was like, and Boston would be a good place to observe the affects of rising oceans, because so much of it is reclaimed Massachusetts Bay bottom.
1) Does a Time Machine travel in time, or do only the passengers? If the Time Machine itself doesn't travel in time, what am I in when I arrive? Is there a live pilot or an auto pilot? How long will the trip take? Can I bring somebody back with me?
2) I understand that one can select one's temporal destination down to the second, but how do I select the precise geographical location? I wouldn't want to end up stuck in a thick wall, or under water.
3) Will I still be "me" in 24 A.D.? Or will I be a first century ancestor who would have lived either in Britannia or among the Angles and Saxons? If the latter, how does the Time Machine find ancestor and move them to Rome? Similar problem in 2224: am I "me" or not?
4) Will the Rome of 24 or Boston of 2224 be "real" or simulacrum? If the latter, how good are they, generally. Convincing or not? One wouldn't want to pay for time-travel to a bad show.
5) If I am still "me" in 24 A.D. or 2224, will the people of 24 or 2224 be biologically alive--eating, drinking, breathing, etc.? If I and everyone else are alive biologically, can we mate with or kill each other? If I died in 24, will I be alive when I return to 2024?
6) Will I arrive knowing first century Latin, or will I be SOL as far as communication goes?
7) How long can I stay? Does the effect of traveling through time fade, over time, causing one to fade away or be stuck in some other time frame?
8) Do I have to be at a very specific location (temporally and geographically) to return to the present?
9) Will my clothes and baggage travel with me, or just "me"? I'd rather not arrive naked. I'll need pockets to put stuff in -- a gun to deter a Roman legionnaire with a sharp sword, a tablet containing lots of information about Rome circa 24, meds, a camera with lots of memory, an emergency "get me out of here at once" signal, etc.
10) Will the Time-Machine be equipped with a pattern buffer to prevent me from bring back bacteria, fungi, viruses, insects, etc. which might become a big problem in our time? Visa Versa -- can the pattern buffer prevent me from taking ebola or Zika to the Romans? (Not that one more illness would probably make that much difference to them.).
If you could go, would you go? -
Hanover
12.9kAs a time-traveler, you should not be visible even in 1 second past time. The present moment is very short, and if you are not in it, you do not exist in the present. — BC
To the extent the rules of time travel are as you say they are, I just went back in time and changed them. I can now stalk myself like I was talking about.
Keep up this chastising and I might go back and take you out of existence. -
180 Proof
15.4k:nerd: What I picked-up from conversation with some backtravelers at a local hash bar...
1. Only passengers. Trip duration varies. One way backtravel (to the past) only, no return.
2. Before leaving consult a date-stamped map of destination for areas without buildings at that time.
3. Yes, you will still be you.
4. Wherewhenever you arrive it'll be a 'quantum-fidelity simulation' just like your present.
5. On Earth up to about 2 million years ago – yes there will be living "humans".
6. SOL ...
7. See no. 1: no return. Backtravelers are there for the duration (unless they can build another time machine out of local materials and travel further back in time).
8. See no. 7.
9. Check with time machine operator ...
10. n/a
Nope.If you could go, would you go? — BC
update:
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/880112 -
Vera Mont
4.3k1) Does a Time Machine travel in time, or do only the passengers? If the Time Machine itself doesn't travel in time, what am I in when I arrive? Is there a live pilot or an auto pilot? How long will the trip take? Can I bring somebody back with me? — BC
No; nothing physical travels in time, because time has no physical locations. When you arrive, you are a disembodied consciousness; thus there is no risk of altering the past. There is an operator, who also monitors your body's vital signs while your astral body is absent. The trip will have a pre-set duration, equal in both present and other. Not a good idea to leave your body for more than a few hours at a time.
Of course you can't bring anyone or anything back; you can't even touch or talk to them.
2) I understand that one can select one's temporal destination down to the second, but how do I select the precise geographical location? I wouldn't want to end up stuck in a thick wall, or under water. — BC
The GPS locator is pretty accurate, and there is no chance of damage to the astral body if it does land in a wall or under water. Since you have no substance, air and gravity are not issues, either. By the same token, no eating, drinking, mating or any other of interaction with the environment is possible.
3) Will I still be "me" in 24 A.D.? — BC
You can't be anyone else, but in another time, you're nobody at all.
6) Will I arrive knowing first century Latin — BC
You should be able to understand everyone telepathically, but you can't communicate.
4) Will the Rome of 24 or Boston of 2224 be "real" or simulacrum? — BC
If you can't tell, what do you care?
Do I have to be at a very specific location (temporally and geographically) to return to the present? — BC
No, the silver cord yanks you back to your body when the time is up. (If it's died in the meanwhile, you're plum out of luck.) -
BC
13.6kThank you for these useful, perceptive and thoughtful responses. The tickets are non-refundable, so I'm still going. Maybe I'll be back (per @Vera Mont) or I'll be stuck in the cellars of the Coliseum cleaning up gore from upstairs (per @180 Proof).
I guess I'll have to do a crash course in Latin before I go.
Maybe there are other theories about time travel that will allow more travel flexibility and convenience.
If I should decide to to alter the course of the future (from 24 a.d. forward) do you have any particular requests? -
Sir2u
3.5kTheory #1
Time travel is impossible.
The universe might be infinite, but its content is finite. Removing content from today's universe and inserting into a past version would cause this universe to implode and the past to explode.
Theory #2
#1 Time travel is only possible through portals that are opened, using great amounts of energy, into the chosen moment in time. Then re-opened for e return passage. It is instantaneous and people can travel both ways. They retain their exact properties.
#2 Geographical locations are done by the control computer and the portal would let you see where you are going to end up so there is no danger of coming out of ii in a wall.
#3 You will always be you because you have just walked from the present to that time.
#4, As above but applied to the places.
#5 Yes,yes and no. You will not be alive here because you walked into the past and being dead there would prevent you from walking back.
#6 Whatever you knew when you went there.
#7 See #1
#8 See #1
#9 See #1
#10 No and no. so be bloody careful. -
BC
13.6kTime travel is impossible — Sir2u
If time travel were impossible, they wouldn't be selling tickets, would they. If time travel were impossible, I wouldn't have bought a ticket, would I.
So you don't want to go with me. Anything you want me to bring back for you? (There would be fees...)
Nobody seems interested in my 200 years-in-the-future trip to Boston to see how the predicted catastrophic changes are panning out. Is time travel into the future anymore complicated than time travel into the past? -
Vera Mont
4.3kIs time travel into the future anymore complicated than time travel into the past? — BC
Considerably! The past is sealed. The future is still open to a million possible versions. The differences between them may be infinitesimal, but fine-tuning the navigation to land your astral body in one specific time-strand is a finicky, time-consuming operation. That's why forward trips are 3X the price per year of backward trips. -
BC
13.6kand all debts — Vera Mont
Just the crimes. All debts remain collectable.
He talks too straight for that job. — Sir2u
Absolutely. Politicians have a forest full of weasel words -- words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said when in fact only a vague, ambiguous, or irrelevant claim has been communicated. Then there are loads of lies, because politicians the world over are a mendacious lot -- it goes with the territory. "Is your country going to invade Ivanistan?" "Of course not! We are a peace-loving nation!" Meanwhile, the tanks are rolling across the border.
Lying, thieving, sneaking, conniving, knavery... It's what politicians do. -
BC
13.6kDonald Trump, may he rot in hell, might not pay his bills but that doesn't make the bills disappear.
Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.
Categories
- Guest category
- The Lounge
- General Philosophy
- Metaphysics & Epistemology
- Philosophy of Mind
- Ethics
- Political Philosophy
- Philosophy of Art
- Logic & Philosophy of Mathematics
- Philosophy of Religion
- Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy of Language
- Interesting Stuff
- Politics and Current Affairs
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Science and Technology
- Non-English Discussion
- German Discussion
- Spanish Discussion
- Learning Centre
- Resources
- Books and Papers
- Reading groups
- Questions
- Guest Speakers
- David Pearce
- Massimo Pigliucci
- Debates
- Debate Proposals
- Debate Discussion
- Feedback
- Article submissions
- About TPF
- Help
More Discussions
- Other sites we like
- Social media
- Terms of Service
- Sign In
- Created with PlushForums
- © 2024 The Philosophy Forum