This is a very serious and interesting question for people who love to think.So, ake your time to read it. I posted the same question yesterday--but I am elaborating this in the new post.
Let's make a consistent assumption or hypothesis:
"Every event in space-time is unique." That means every incident
in past,present and future can have only single value not multiple values. This seems quite obvious because-"tomorrow just at 12:31 pm at the crossing of Tago Street and Mando Steet a car with number NY786654 will pass through" this is an unique event(although we don't know it until it happens--this is another assumption but we agree that an unique event will happen in some future space-time with or without predestination). Although, multiple values can be assigned to a future event
but that implies probability and our ignorance about the future(our ignorance about the future is actually also an assumption which seems obvious).
Also, let's make another hypothesis:
"Every event is connected by cause and effect."
Now, let's say that somebody knows what will happen in some particular future. Now, he decides to change that event. What will happen? According to the second hypothesis--he will either forget
his decision or some unknown force will prevent him to change the event[1].
Now, think of a particular situation-- The person
saw the future of a piece of paper in snap-shot(He saw that piece of paper on the top of a table in the house of one of his friend in a party at 11:45 am and 12:45 am Monday September 29 2006 in NY city).
So, he arrived at the party before 11:45 am and the moment(11:45 am) he saw the piece of paper--he challenged the people in the party to burn that piece of paper within 30 minutes(that is before 12:45 am).
What will happen if the above two HYPOTHESES holds??
2006-08-13 12:36:14 · 9 answers · asked by Mahfuz R 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
The paper would be burnt. The future would be changed.There would be no paper on the table at 12:45, therefore the need to repeat the time travel would not exist and there would be no more paradox. You would know that things had been changed, nobody else would.
2006-08-13 13:10:38 · answer #1 · answered by JoeBones 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You said someone will know what will happen in the future. The example is the person will see the piece of paper and try to destroy it to see what the effect will be on the future?? If that's what you meant, I would say the future could not be guessed. But, just to play along, the paper could have a major effect on the person who owns it depending upon what the paper is. Is the paper a billing the owner has not viewed yet? If you burned it up, that would have an effect if the party does not pay the bill.
If you want to get really Twilight Zone here, I suppose you could burn the paper and everyone would be looking for it and their lives would be changed forever. Maybe they would all forget that instant and they would continue to party on.
2006-08-13 19:59:29 · answer #2 · answered by Sunnidaze 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something is wrong with your question. There is no way that a clock ever rolls from 11:45 am to 12:45 am. It goes from 11:45 am to 12:45 pm, or it goes from 11:45 pm to 12:45 am. If you are asking your question with the times that you asked, they have 25 hours in which to burn the piece of paper, which leaves plenty of time to alter a future.
2006-08-13 19:53:28 · answer #3 · answered by bloomquist324 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The paper would be burned into ash and thrown away in the trash and the table would be empty. Then the person who challenged forgets he saw the snap shot and everything is back in order and the event is unique.
2006-08-13 20:44:20 · answer #4 · answered by rogue chedder 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's kind of confusing. I understand the first hypothesis, but I don't understand the example connected to the second hypothesis. Maybe if you cleared that up, or explained it more, or thought of a different example, I'd be able to answer the question: "What will happen if the above two HYPOTHESES holds??"
2006-08-13 19:49:22 · answer #5 · answered by Ashleigh 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
so your saying of someone shines light into his future, would happend? it would only based ones person will, some people just like to dream and no will
2006-08-13 20:51:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Now I know why I hated philosophy courses in colege all of those years ago.
2006-08-13 19:43:40 · answer #7 · answered by Bullwinkle Moose 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I see.
2006-08-13 19:41:39 · answer #8 · answered by da_hammerhead 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i am not a really good thinker, but ... i really am not sure... you are a hard question asker!! i'll keep ya posted!!!
2006-08-13 19:42:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋