proposed solution to grandfather paradox

[wstein]

You know the old grandfather paradox: It goes something like invent a time machine and travel to your past. While there you kill your grandfather which should prevent you from being born. But how can you do anything if you were never born??

I suggest that you can travel into the past and kill your grandfather without any paradox. The resolution is to realize that whatever effect you cause travels 'forward' in time at the same rate you do. Its just like your actions now that travel into an unset future at a 'fixed' speed. In a sense your past disappears but never catches up with you.

Ever heard of parallel lives? Perhaps when traveling in time, you are really "seeing" into another dimension. A dimension (life) in which your grandfather was killed and you were never born. Since your intent was to kill your grandfather to see what would happen to you, maybe you are instead just "tuning in" to the dimension in which he was killed by someone else. Because of your intent, possibly you are seeing the murderer as yourself, when it is actually someone else. I'm starting to sound rather bizarre! Just a theory which can't be proved on this level of existence.

[jalef]

i like the timeline theory: if you travel back in time you can kill your grandfather but this will only create a new timeline and the one you came from will be absolutely unafacted.

[enoch]

If I remember rightly, the only way to solve the paradox is the multiverse theory. Or is it a hypotheses? I can't remember. Personally, I doubt that time travel would ever be possible. Imagine reversing entropy: reversing the environment would also reverse you! meaning: if you did successfully reverse entropy and arrive at an earlier date, you'd have no idea why you were there because all memory would have been erased.

Wasn't there a movie like this? I can't remember the name. The guy had to keep writing messages on his arms and body to remember, because, I think, he was experiencing time backwards? Anyway, it was an interesting movie if anyone can remember the title.

[CFTraveler]

I think it was a star trek episode.

My daughter-in-law just told me the movie was "The Butterfly Effect".

[enoch]

still not seen that movie...keep meaning to...

[Freawaru]

There are some really good movies on the subject. Some of my favs are "Bill and Ted" (they are the only ones who ever really USED the effects) and some "Stargate" episodes. Of course "Back to the Future" is also highly amusing.

As to science, there are solutions of the Relativity Theory that permit time travel - just as Warp speed and stable Worm holes. Problem is that they would require so-called "Inflationary matter" and noone has an idea how to created that one... so far

[CFTraveler]

If I remember rightly, the only way to solve the paradox is the multiverse theory. Or is it a hypotheses? I can't remember. Personally, I doubt that time travel would ever be possible. Imagine reversing entropy: reversing the environment would also reverse you! meaning: if you did successfully reverse entropy and arrive at an earlier date, you'd have no idea why you were there because all memory would have been erased.

Maybe this happens all the time already and no one remembers.