The human race ceases to exist at our current technological level sometime in the future...

Assuming Moore's law and advances in technology, it becomes evident that time travel and even interstellar travel should be attainable in the future, including AI. It is a logical assumption that future archeologists or inidividuals (some unscrupulous) would have returned to our time or prior times to alter time in their favor or to divert some major occurance that changes our destiny. Since none of these changes have been perceived and or are noticed it can logically be deduced that mankind either completely destroys himself in the future - no survivors, or destroys himself to the point he has to start off all over in some primitive way with a reduced population... if we were to stay together in some conducive manner life would be changing. Different factions would try to alter time and our time line would be shifting, paradoxes would/should be evident. Certain governments and or leaders would be granted favors from future visitors, etc.

reply to post by pityocamptes


Except of course if time travel is invented, it will be impossible for anyone to travel back further than the moment that the time machine is first invented. Its one of the interesting paradoxes concerning time travel. Read up on it. So if we invent a time travel machine today, someone five years in the future can only travel as far back as Jan 26, 2012.

Furthermore, if someone did as you suggest, we would not know they have done it and simply assume the new future timeline is what we were destined to experience all along. There is simply no way to know.

Originally posted by nightbringr
reply to post by pityocamptes

 

Except of course if time travel is invented, it will be impossible for anyone to travel back further than the moment that the time machine is first invented.

Its one of the interesting paradoxes concerning time travel. Read up on it. So if we invent a time travel machine today, someone five years in the future can only travel as far back as Jan 26, 2012.

Not really - space time continuum - time travel + interstellar travel means that they could come back at ANY time via a worm hole or black hole... in theory. So they simply pop out in another galaxy, in the year 1776, fold space and emerge within our solar system...

But what if we're the present and the future hasn't occurred to allow the first time traveler yet?

isn't it only possible to travel forwards in time at the moment (no seriously you can speed up time)
traveling back in time is either impossible or undetectable...

for example Bob and Dave are VERY smart and have built a time machine (not sure how but lets go with it)
Bob decides he wants to go back to 1995 and remember to put the lottery on (he would have won)
Dave thinks its risky so decides to watch over the time machine in present incase something goes wrong

Bob returns to 1995 and wins lottery and decides to share with "1995 Dave" but is unable to return home to future since "1995 Dave" hasn't had his brilliant idea to use anti-matter to power time machine that he had after bumping his head in a cycling accident Bob does not care and lives the rest of his days filthy rich
meanwhile...
Dave has just watched his friend disappear into the time machine never to return and nothing has changed at all...
Bob who went into time machine and went poof...
was broke and forgot to put lottery on in 1995 he was never seen again...

this is because when you travel back in time it would not be YOUR past....
its someone else's just they look exactly like you and share your name and personality
by traveling back in time you are effectively dividing the universe and creating an alternate universe
a multi-verse if you will

so maybe Bob never won the lottery when he went back in time...
maybe he got shot when the store he purchased his ticket at got robbed and died a poor man after all
maybe i am from alternate universe and the real me said "Dave" won the lottery and not Bob o,O???

Originally posted by nightbringr
reply to post by pityocamptes

 

Except of course if time travel is invented, it will be impossible for anyone to travel back further than the moment that the time machine is first invented. Its one of the interesting paradoxes concerning time travel. Read up on it. So if we invent a time travel machine today, someone five years in the future can only travel as far back as Jan 26, 2012.

Doesn't work.

If the time machine disassembled itself, then why aren't you becoming younger.
You yourself would have to revert back to your age at that point in time.

If I take something back in time with me, it's with me, it hasn't reverted back to it original state it's still how it was when I climbed into the TM.

reply to post by Chukkles


Please, read up on time travel. All scientists agree that if a device is made to travel time with, you will never be able to travel back further in time that the moment said device was made. Google it.

While you're referring to the Technological Singularity , i wouldn't quit my job just yet, it may not happen for a long time or even at all, we may find a new and more exotic form of technology and abandon transistors on silicon wafers.

Originally posted by nightbringr
reply to post by Chukkles

 

Please, read up on time travel. All scientists agree that if a device is made to travel time with, you will never be able to travel back further in time that the moment said device was made. Google it.

...but given the theoretical nature of worm holes and black holes as possible fluxes of time in nature, would it not make sense that these door ways to time, which are numerous and span times of possible millions of years, not afford time travelers to utilize such doors?