What if Time Travel were possible, but you couldn't pick the date, would you still go?

Thinking about this scenario...If you could travel through time, but, it was simply a shot in the dark, as to whether you would go forward or back, and with no idea of the time period you would arrive in, would most people still be as interested, or not? After all, it seem's as though most people are interested in changing the past by going back to do thing's over again, while other's are interested in seeing our future. I wonder how many would find it as interesting, if they could definitely go, but would not know where they would end up, sort of a spin the wheel, maybe good, maybe bad, but, i'm sure fascinating nonetheless. Any thought's, or should I say any taker's???

[edit on 22-2-2010 by freetree64]

reply to post by freetree64


Yes, I have a thought....I think I'd seriously consider it.

Part of my decision would be (hypothetically, of course) based on what I could, or could not take, with me.

Also, since I assume you mean travelling through time, and remaining on the Earth....I would need reassurance that my re-appearance, in whatever time frame, would also manage to translate me physically to appear UPON the planet, where it actually was (or will be) physicaccly located in space.

Since, like everything else, the planet, our Sun, the entire Solar System, is in constant motion......moving physically through space.

Also --- perhaps there would be a range of timespans???

I mean, 200 million years ago I don't think that Humans would have been able to breathe the Earth's atmosphere....oxygen levels have changed a lot, in ancient geological times. MANY hundreds of millions of years ago, there was little oxygen, but a lot of methane, for instance.

200 million years from now, in the future??? Who knows???

reply to post by weedwhacker


Excellent observation... As this is hypothetical, I believe we could utilize the scenario that you would be returned to your original point of origin, whether that be this planet or any other, depending upon where your started..

I too feel there would be parameters of course due to the lack of availible life support, as far as we know, during certain timeframes in the earth's past, or possibly future....

I'd have to go with no. The earth is plenty old. The chances of arriving in a time period resulting in 'insta death' would be a bit too high.

I'd say keep working till you can hit at least the nearest 100million years :-)

reply to post by weedwhacker


you bring up very valid points. its always been my fear that you would appear somewhere in space because of the earths yearly movements. like if you time traveled, but stayed at the exact same place, then you would be in trouble cause of the earths constant 1180 Kilometer and hour movement. you would have to time travel. NOT ONLY THAT, but the sun is moving just as fast if not faster(Slower: 220 KM). In fact, through out our entire lives we can never be in the same place because the Sun completes its rotations around the Milky Way's center one time every 250,000,000 years.

also, I would have to see the range of possible dates, cause Id Hate to be on earth seconds before the impact that created the moon,

Not knowing where and or when I would be going makes it hard to say for sure, but if I was 50 and never found love or anything like that Im sure Id go.

I'm gonna go let by the flow of the OP.

Time would just like the air, water and land, kept in by gravity.

Who says it doesn't ? We already know it's relative.
It could all be in the mind ?!

I first like to ask is it to the future or back in time ?

reply to post by freetree64


I wouldn't want to go, for all of the already mentioned reasons. But if you could be in a protected room/ship/suit/whatever, or could watch it remotely on a videoscreen, then sure thing

reply to post by Monsieur Neary


Good thought.... "Future Television Network" coming to a cable or satellite provider near you... now that would be something. Oh, and I omitted "past television network" due to the fact that we are already inundated with the past via television.... However, actual video footage of the past, would be quite unique...

I think I would probably say yes. but only if I could take people with me and it was to a certain point in time. I'd much rather live in the past in the times of the Vikings or ancient Greeks.

Swords > guns.

Great, with my luck, I would end up hitting earth at 4.5 billion years ago and die within a second from the toxic atmosphere...if lucky.

or go 6 billion years ahead and watch the sun go nova.

If it was general, then sure..."iron age, bronze age, nanotech age, etc". I think however we may be living in more interesting times currently than we may suspect.

It'd be a definite no-no from me. The Earth's belting around the solar racetrack at about 18 miles per second and the track's millions of miles long. The chances of going back or forward in time and landing on the Earth (not in it!) is too unlikely to chance it. Heck no!

How would you know the position of the planet around hte sun?

How would you make sure the vehicle or device materialized you on earths current location?

reply to post by Wertdagf


To that I must simply say, " I do not know ", the topic is whether or not you would go, and would the fact that you cannot choose your date,or forward's or backward's affect your decision.... As to "how" or "what" i am not qualified currently to answer such question's... Although, I would be happy to speculate, and or theorize for you, but, it would be based on an unscientific background, with a wild imagination....

[edit on 22-2-2010 by freetree64]

no, im conditioned to this life i live as its all i know, if i was transplanted somewhere else, i doubt i would survive long due to the fact of the unknown of that time, even if i knew history

not saying i couldnt adapt but being here now and having almost anything at my fingertips i think has really lazified alot of us in a sense

it all depends on what time i guess but with no control youd never know

prehistoric time? youd be eaten so quick or not knowing what was poisonous then to now

ancient cities? pretty much barbaric and have to fight your way to live or atleast a show of that

we have it easy now is all im saying, itd be hard and kinda pointless or in vain cause we d have noone to share it with, kinda living a nightmare

reply to post by MurderCityDevil


Ahh... but, what if by the luck of the draw, as they say, you ended up here in modern time's,only 10 years previous, or perhap's a year or two, into the future....not all scenario's are as scary or mind altering.

reply to post by freetree64


touche but who would take a chance like that?

i wouldnt go back 10 years or forward 2, i would rather just remember or wait and enjoy life as i see it now

picking a date to go to is a whole other thread with endless possibilities and preperation.

and would it be like terminator time travel, all naked? or back to the future time travel in a car with a suitcase of money from all different times?

reply to post by MurderCityDevil


One does not know, as I said, it is all hypothetical, yet food for thought... I too, am quite content with this current here and now, however the mind tend's to wander, and one wonder's if it does,perhap's the body could someday follow.... but, as you say, that's another thread as well

Id definitely have to say no. Even if i could actually pick a date in the near future i wouldn't go. Who knows when something apocalyptic could happen, such as a killer plague or an asteroid attack, etc.

If your able to pick the date, I'd think it would be fun to go back and see younger versions of me. I miss the teenage years

I think that rather than travel back in time I'd rather unwind my own time line and go back to being 20 again. I think one of the big dangers of going back in time is that modern people are just too weak to survive the harsh realities of life in the past.