I take your point, JD, but I don't think the Universe is a stranger to dealing with cataclysmic events. What do black holes do if they don't locally mess with spacetime?
Of course, I have a conveniently non-scientific view of spacetime. In it, I can envisage all time and space taking a form where if you mess around with one bit of it, the rest doesn't get too upset about it, certainly not to the extent of going into self-destruct mode.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j. d. worthington  Therefore... yes, if an individual went back in time, it would alter the universe, because it would no longer be the same universe it was before such a thing took place (if you follow my meaning). |
Agreed, but the difference would be minor, like an abrasion. Important to humanity and possibly our planet, but of no real import to the rotation of the galaxy or the galaxies around us.
If I create a localised paradox, why should it have any more repurcussions than my amplifier feeding back would have on a West Life gig in Sydney (sadly, can't get them much further away from me than that). Would the Universe - and that means every part of every part of everything from what we see to what we can't possibly imagine - really reel in pain if I went back in time and gave myself a better career or a better lunch? Yes, there'd be knock-on effects, but only locally, only on this biosphere.
Would Hawking have been stupider if Einstein had died in a Nazi concentration camp?
I think even some of the more enlightened humans are really two-faced. We say "Oh, the insignificance of our existence" when we see a picture of our planet from the moon, but then we go right ahead and place ourselves at the top of the importance chart when it comes to a hypothetical list of things that could bring the universe to an end. Is it so hard for us to believe that nothing we can ever do will
ever have a lasting impact on a Universe that, let's face it, only endures our existence for a fraction of a fragment of a microsecond in cosmic terms?
Hey, these are the thoughts that keep
me sane
EDIT
Oh, yeah, just to point out, I'm not actually a psycho serial killer who's just found a great way to appease my evil conscience - honest. (no evil grin - I'm practicing sincerity this month)