The Grandmother Paradox

[Phoenix]

The Grandmother Paradox

Phoenix
Posted: Dec 31 2003, 03:09 PM

If this happened, would the future me be my current age in the past, or would I be the same age as the past me?

This concept is independent of single or multiple theory, it is a theory in it's own right.


In a body double theory the future you would be what ever age you were from your point of temporal departure.

In a single body theory you are back in the body you had in your arrival time. Such a form of time travel would have to be backward as there would be discontinuity in a forward jump.

Now in a single body theory there are two possibilities too.

1) The future mind is placed in the past self.

2) The past mind is restarted at that point.

Possibility 1 needs a multiple time line model to work because it implies change.

Possibility 2 you better hope is in a multiple time line model are there is an infinite loop created, of exactly repeating the same events including the time travel that is not remembered.

Actually possibility 1 is possible in a VCR model but not in it's pure sense, the past mind would be the future mind. When that person got to that point in time they would know events that would happen in the future that lead to the time travel. Perhaps this scenario is worse than scenario 2 as now you are aware of what can not be changed in the loop.

 

[Phoenix]

The Grandmother Paradox

David
Posted: Jan 2 2004, 07:46 AM

I'm starting to get it now. It's very confusing, but I'm getting it slowly.
I was thinking about this last night, while watching the Bill Murray movie \"Groundhog Day.\"
When Bill wakes up each day in the same date over and over, it can be likened to time traveling back 24 hours each day. He only existed in one body, and location, and no one else was aware that he had been here in this time before, except himself.

He was able to \"Remember\" all the events that were going to happen in the \"future\"

But, since he was able to manipulate and affect what would happen, by his knowledge of the \"past-future\", it could be assumed he was creating alternate timelines each day.
So, you can imagine that he had created a vast number of timelines, all of which were happening simotaniously, but his \"mind\" was living the one he really wanted, which was with the woman of his dreams.

In a single timeline theory, would he have just relived the same day, events, thoughts over and over without knowing it? or maybe knowing it, but without being able to change it?

Wow, this gives your brain a nice workout. lol

 

[Phoenix]

The Grandmother Paradox

Phoenix
Posted: Jan 2 2004, 04:20 PM

Yes you are getting it.

In a single timeline theory, would he have just relived the same day, events, thoughts over and over without knowing it? or maybe knowing it, but without being able to change it?

Yes both scenarios are possible in the single time line theory. They just represent two different expressions of that theory. I personally feel that the ignorance of the first one would be more bliss. Then again if everything is repeating itself he may not mind so much just because his mind when it repeats never minded it so much in the first place.

Wow, this gives your brain a nice workout. lol

Yes it does.

 

[Phoenix]

The Grandmother Paradox

jovial_kitten
Posted: Jan 10 2004, 03:13 AM

(Phoenix @ Jul 19 2003, 03:04 PM)

A good way to visualize this is with a game. Imagine a game in which you could save your place. When you load the game from that point, you have traveled back in time. It will not be the same time line you have played before, but a different one.

If anyone has ever played the game The Sims..then this explanation will be very clear to them.
You can save your game while playing..and then continue playing..and if something happens that you don't like then just don't save it and go back to your starting point and try again.

 

[Phoenix]

The Grandmother Paradox

Phoenix
Posted: Jan 16 2004, 08:05 AM

I think that is a good example kitten.

 

[iooqxpooi]

The Grandmother Paradox

This is quite easy.

When you go back in time, you go to another 'world', in which you are supposed to kill your grandmother thus stopping your birth.

 

[Ralan]

The Grandmother Paradox

This is quite easy.

When you go back in time, you go to another 'world', in which you are supposed to kill your grandmother thus stopping your birth.

Can you prove this?

Also this depends on which theory is correct, the multiple universe theory or single wordline theory.

 

[lev]

The Grandmother Paradox

Originally posted by Ralan@Jun 15 2004, 08:44 PM

This is quite easy.

When you go back in time, you go to another 'world', in which you are supposed to kill your grandmother thus stopping your birth.

Can you prove this?

Also this depends on which theory is correct, the multiple universe theory or single wordline theory.

::..Although the Terminator series appears to be the driving factor behind many Time Travel claims, the multiverse theory is fast becomming the most popular..::.. I wonder, since the multiverse theory seems to help with many Time Travel hurdles, who invented the theory & what inspired it?..::

 

[Phoenix]

The Grandmother Paradox

I remember after I made a computer game on my commodore 64 about time travel the multi time line theory suggested itself. When I told my friends they said they never heard about it before but found it did answer a lot of paradoxes. Then later on I began hearing scientists talk about it using it to describe the wave like nature of electrons. Something about electrons from near by alternative universes are effecting the direction of one electron through a slit while an electron from another reality goes through the other slit.

Then on this board we have several people reporting experiences of alternate realities.

Then again didn't DC comics have alternate realities? Also doesn't the chose your own adventure books suggest this model of time.

I am not sure it can be said to be discovered by one person, even if that is how science likes to frame ideas.

 

[TimeWizardCosmo]

The Grandmother Paradox

I believe it IS possible to kill your own grandmother. For every decision that is made, another universe splits off into trillions of other universes where a different decision is made.

They only thing differing from one universe to the next could be something as small as that the cat on the balcony next to me meowed four times instead of five.

Or something as big as WWII never happened.

Therefore, there must be a universe in which time travel is a common thing, and I travelled back in time and killed my grandmother.