From: Robin Hanson (rhanson@gmu.edu)
Date: Mon Oct 30 2000 - 14:26:30 MST
Dave Sill wrote:
> > Not every use of a time machine creates a grandfather paradox. We're
> > not talking about killing your previous self, just about giving them $1
> > more to spend back then. I see nothing paradoxical about that.
>
>OK, either I received the money from the future or I didn't. If I did, then
>how can I *not* decide to send it back now? If I didn't, how can I change
>the past by deciding to send it back today? And if I could decide to send
>money to myself in the past, wouldn't that create a feedback loop? E.g., I
>send back $1000 that turns into $5000 today which I reinvest in the past so
>it grows into $25000 today which I reinvest in the past...
There have been a bunch of physics articles about time machines over the last
few decades. They clearly show that time machines are not logically
impossible, though it is not yet clear whether or not they are physically
possible with standard physics. Here's one reference:
Thorne, S. Kip; Black holes and time warps: Einstein's outrageous legacy;
Great Britain 1994.
Robin Hanson rhanson@gmu.edu http://hanson.gmu.edu
Asst. Prof. Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323
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