The paradox, is basically a theory about time travel.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the grandfather paradox in the context of time travel, exploring the implications and assumptions of time travel theories. Participants examine various scenarios and interpretations related to the paradox, including quantum mechanics and alternate realities.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that if time travel is possible, killing one's grandfather would create a paradox regarding one's existence.
  • Others suggest that the grandfather in question may not be a biological ancestor, introducing ambiguity into the paradox.
  • A participant questions the implications of killing a spouse's grandfather and whether memories would be lost, indicating a personal stake in the theoretical implications.
  • One viewpoint introduces the concept of alternate realities, suggesting that killing a grandfather in one timeline does not affect one's existence in another.
  • Another participant argues against the assertion that quantum mechanics can rule out the grandfather paradox, suggesting that the proposed principles are speculative and do not directly follow from established laws of physics.
  • Some participants discuss the nature of time travel, questioning how one could exist to commit an act if they do not exist in the past.
  • There is a critique of the notion of time as a dimension that can be traversed like space, with one participant expressing skepticism about the feasibility of time travel.
  • Concerns are raised about the implications of multiple versions of a grandfather existing simultaneously, leading to questions about identity and continuity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the grandfather paradox and time travel, with no consensus reached. Disagreements persist regarding the implications of quantum mechanics, the nature of time, and the existence of alternate realities.

Contextual Notes

Some arguments rely on speculative interpretations of quantum mechanics and the nature of time travel, with limitations in definitions and assumptions not fully resolved within the discussion.

  • #31


phinds said:
One should never feel bound by nonsense.

I travel thru time everyday :)

GrayGhost
 
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  • #32


It seems to me there are basically two possibilities here, and we have no way to choose either one, or label the other as nonsense. Either the spacetime address of an event uniquely specifies that event, such that events are "written in stone" directly into the spacetime (and then we'd need some form of consistency criterion, it is of lesser importance exactly how we specify it), or else the spacetime address is a more ephemeral and locally meaningful entity, that cannot be uniquely associated with an event but can be "reused" as easily as a phone number. Since we only ever use spacetime addresses either locally in our own corner of space or cosmologically for the whole universe (along with the simplifying cosmological principle), we have no way to distinguish these possibilities with anything that has been done in modern science. We'd just be guessing at this point, so why we think we know the answer when we are just guessing is the real question here.
 
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