Time Travel

Always loved the concept. I love "Back To The Future," "Heroes," "Doctor Who," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," the Terminators, "Star Trek: The Voyage Home," "Primeval," ... Basically anything with time travel in it. Of course logistics, philosophies and perspectives regarding this "fictional" mode of transportation are widely debated and diverse. I and a few of my friends have often debated our views on the subject matter and our personal views regarding issues such as feasibility, extent of influence, consequences, and repercussions. There is of course the several view points regarding time travel. For the sake of clarity I will spell the ones that I and my friends have come up with. I have tried the lay them out as best as I can into 3 groups with subcategories per group. Revisions will, I'm certain, come later.

1. The theory of minor alterations - changes in the past can effect the present in small ways without drastically changing the present and/or the future.

a. Instantaneous change - the mere intent to change go back in time to alter the present effect the here and now without first traveling through time. (i.e. Bill and Ted)

b. Rippling change - the present is not altered until after the travel changes the past, and those in the present/future are changed. (i.e. Back to the Future)

c. Redo - the travel can jump back in time and alter present outcomes by merely making a different decision to affect the present/future. (i.e. Next)


2. The theory of cataclysmic change or the butterfly effect - no matter how small the change in the past, the present and future can be altered both drastically and unpredictably.

a. The precarious scale - all choices in the past can shift the balance of positive or negative outcomes drastically. (i.e. Butterfly Effect)

b. The Reaper's consequence - not all choices truly affect the present/future, only those regarding the life and death of a given entity or entities.



3. The theory of continuity - the invention of time travel cannot affect anything because the past is finite and any changes done in the past by the traveler were meant to happen because they already happened and nothing can be changed. (one's traveling from present to past had to happen and did already. Of course these form paradoxes in logic and indeed space/time)

a. The painter's canvas - regardless of what is done in the past, the present/future unfolds the same because it had already happened. (i.e. The Time Machine)


Of course there are also theories that compromise and try to blend all or at least 2 categories together:

The illusion of control - time travel can change events in the past, but there are some events that are inevitable and can only be postponed at best (i.e. Terminator 3 and Doctor Who)

The janitor's duty - the traveler can maintain the present/future through action in the past, but failure results in cataclysmic change to present/future. (i.e. Primeval and Doctor Who)

There are even ideas regarding the limits of time travel: can't cross over your own timeline, can't transport anything artificial through time/space, fuel, duration, lack of guidance regarding destination, paradox of meeting yourself, paradox of making yourself into existence, paradox of being your own destruction, unable to save certain entities, the limit of past or future, or limit of mode of transport (i.e. consciousness, body, car, spaceship, journal, etc.)

Of course I do not believe most limitations imposed by Hollywood regarding this mode of transportation, but the philosophies hold a lot of weight and I personally continue to struggle with them. Certain theories imply deterministic philosophies and others "Free Will," this alone is a source of debate that has existed since man first applied rational existential thought. I've been working on this for far longer than I should have and should get back to other things. I leave you with this information and these thought to ponder, struggle with and critique because I know my friends and I will continue to do the same. Until next I write don't step on any butterflies.