From: Eric Ruud (ejruud@ucdavis.edu)
Date: Sun Dec 13 1998 - 12:44:12 MST
I'm not so sure that that's
> >How would those from the future provide evidence [to the past] without
> >creating paradox?
>
>
>Perhaps logical paradoxes happen all the time but cause no trouble because
>nobody can ever see them. Suppose nature rubbed out any witnesses to her
>crime and brought a universe to an end that was about to see a paradox.
>
>Damn, I just knocked my coffee cup off the table, what a mess! I'm really
not in the
>mood to clean this up, I think I'll use my new Gateway 14,400 Tachyon time
flex
>modem and send myself some E mail 5 minutes ago. I'll just hit the send key
and
>
>.....brought a universe to an end that was about to see a paradox. Pardon
me,
>I just got some E mail from John, let's see what it says " Dear John: Be
>careful with that coffee cup near your elbow, you're about to knock it
over."
>Wow, John is right, that cup is dangerously near the edge, I'll put it in a
>safe place. It was nice of John to warn me about it, it's too bad that
means
>oblivion for him and his entire universe but that's life, nature just will
>not allow anybody to observe a paradox.
>John K Clark
I'm not so sure that's a good enough explanation for me...
I mean, it's possible that "nature" will prevent the observation of paradox,
but it's very possible that it can't. Which is a good reason for me to
believe that it's much harder for people to send a message to the past than
it would be for God to give some proof of his own existence.
You say that the original John will be banished to oblivion... if so, then
where does this message come from? Is it possible that he continues on his
own separate path, and that there is a new "branch" on the fractal chain (a
multiverse) or is it more likely that the paradox of the duality between
John sending the mail to himself (not to mention countless atoms having
their paths changed as a result) and John recieving the mail and therefore
having no need to prevent the spilling of his coffee and therefore causng
John to spill his coffee therefore reminding John not to spill his coffee...
etc.
I'm curious as to if our understanding of causality is applicable once the
medium of time has been become traversable. When this happens, all causes
and effects will be happening simultaneously, which makes things a bit
confusing.
-Eric Ruud
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