Is Time Travel Really Possible?

In summary: Summary: My guess is that this topic has been covered somewhere at some point. However, I have not recently seen a general, more non-technical treatment of the subject, so I thought this may be the thread for it. In any case, for discussion purposes, I'm going to make the bold statement that time travel is impossible and that the "proof" for this statement is nothing so much technical as it is experiential. Experiential in the sense that if time travel were possible, we would at this moment see time travelers all around us, not only those traveling from the future, but those traveling from the past. However, not only would we at our time see time travelers, every culture from early humans to the dinosaurs would
  • #1
DiracPool
1,243
516
My guess is that this topic has been covered somewhere at some point. However, I have not recently seen a general, more non-technical treatment of the subject, so I thought this may be the thread for it.

In any case, for discussion purposes, I'm going to make the bold statement that time travel is impossible and that the "proof" for this statement is nothing so much technical as it is experiential. Experiential in the sense that if time travel were possible, we would at this moment see time travelers all around us, not only those traveling from the future, but those traveling from the past. In addition, not only would we at our time see time travelers, every culture from early humans to the dinosaurs would have experienced time travelers and all history and science books would have at least an obligatory chapter on the technology. The fact that none of this is the case is proof that it is impossible and we should stop fantasizing about it and wasting good popular science programming time.

Now, I'm not talking about the deal that when we find out how to time travel then we can go back in time or forward in time, etc. from THAT point. You know, where the guy demo's the six flags rollercoaster loop thing as his vision of a model for time travel. That may be a different deal altogether. I'm talking about the good old H. G. Wells stuff.

So either you can side with me, or side with Michio, who was quoted in another thread as saying...

"Once confined to fantasy and science fiction, time travel is now simply an engineering problem" - Michio Kaku

Ain't going to happen. Ain't ever going to happen. Is my common sense logic flawed here?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Oh, just one more thing, I personally do not buy the parallel universe "solution" to make time travel work. So if one were to try to invoke that then I think practically any "Deus ex Machina" solution is fair game, and it becomes a null argument in my mind.
 
  • #3
Just because we, or any other life in the universe, may never develop the technology, doesn't mean it's impossible.
 
  • #4
Closed, pending moderation.

Zz.
 
  • #5


I can understand why people may be fascinated with the idea of time travel. It's a concept that has been explored in literature and film for decades, and it's easy to see why people would want to believe that it's possible. However, based on our current understanding of the laws of physics, time travel is simply not possible. Let me explain why.

First, let's define what we mean by time travel. In this context, we are talking about the ability to travel backwards or forwards in time, to a specific point in the past or future. This would require being able to manipulate time itself, which is something that we have not been able to do.

One of the fundamental principles of physics is the concept of causality, which states that an effect cannot occur before its cause. In other words, the arrow of time only moves forward, and it is impossible for us to go back in time and change events that have already happened. This is supported by the laws of thermodynamics, which dictate that entropy, or disorder, increases over time. If we were able to travel back in time, this would violate the second law of thermodynamics.

Furthermore, the concept of time travel also raises the issue of paradoxes. For example, if someone were to go back in time and prevent their own birth, how could they exist in the present to go back in time in the first place? This is known as the grandfather paradox and highlights the logical inconsistencies that arise when considering time travel.

In addition to these conceptual issues, there are also practical challenges that make time travel highly unlikely. As mentioned in the original post, if time travel were possible, we would expect to see evidence of it in our current time. Yet, there is no scientific evidence or documented sightings of time travelers from the past or future. This suggests that time travel is not possible, as there would undoubtedly be some kind of evidence if it were.

In conclusion, while the idea of time travel may be intriguing, it is not supported by our current understanding of physics and the laws of the universe. As scientists, we must base our beliefs and theories on evidence and logical reasoning, and at this point, there is no evidence to suggest that time travel is possible. It may make for entertaining fiction, but in reality, it is highly unlikely to ever become a reality.
 

1. Is time travel really impossible?

As far as our current understanding of physics goes, time travel is considered impossible. The laws of physics, specifically the laws of causality, do not allow for the possibility of traveling through time. However, this is based on our current knowledge and could potentially change with new discoveries.

2. Can't we just go back in time and fix our mistakes?

Time travel to the past would require violating the principle of causality, which states that an effect cannot occur before its cause. This means that even if we were able to travel back in time, we would not be able to change the past as it has already happened. The concept of changing the past is a popular theme in science fiction, but it is not supported by scientific evidence.

3. What about the concept of time dilation in Einstein's theory of relativity?

While Einstein's theory of relativity does allow for time dilation, which is the slowing down of time in relation to an observer's perspective, this is not the same as time travel. Time dilation occurs in extreme situations such as traveling at very high speeds or near a massive object like a black hole. These effects are not significant enough to allow for time travel.

4. Are there any real-life examples of time travel?

So far, there have been no documented instances of time travel. The concept of time travel is purely theoretical and has not been proven to be possible. Any stories or claims of time travel are either fictional or based on misconceptions.

5. Could time travel be possible in the future?

While we cannot say for certain what may be possible in the future, based on our current understanding of physics, it is highly unlikely that time travel will ever be possible. However, as technology and our understanding of the universe continue to advance, new discoveries may change our understanding of time and the laws of physics. So, we cannot completely rule out the possibility of time travel in the distant future.

Similar threads

  • Other Physics Topics
Replies
8
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
21
Views
998
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
2
Views
858
Replies
18
Views
6K
  • Quantum Physics
Replies
10
Views
1K
  • Other Physics Topics
Replies
9
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
3
Views
918
  • Special and General Relativity
3
Replies
95
Views
4K
Replies
13
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
14
Views
1K
Back
Top