Time Travel

[Anonymous No.6398432]

So I was recently thinking about time travel, from an outsider's perspective i.e. the perspective of someone other than the person who entered the time machine.

To me, there are two things that could possibly happen, and neither outcome is really positive:

>1. the person goes back in time, and the effects of said change are seen by the outsiders in their own timeline
This implies that whatever the person did to go back in time already happened, and that the universe is deterministic. Everyone knows it's deterministic anyway, but for the vast majority who are in denial about it they'll have their whole world view shatter. The suicide rate will increase, religion would become a niche area of interest (with the remaining few still clinging to the idea of this confirming God's plan, but longer believing in free will). This is the theory that films like Primer and Twelve Monkeys explore.

>2. the person goes back in time, and the timeline of the observers remains the same
To the outsiders, the person will have entered the machine and just disappeared. Nothing will have changed for the majority, and only the person who used the machine will notice the changes upon "return" (which is actually to a different timeline). The implication of this then is that time travel is unable to be abused by government or companies, as without the effects being visible for the observers there's no point in using the technology for their own gain - the only way around this would be to send all the people back temporarily, and then send them forward again, something that would be highly expensive if they were ethically forced to send everyone back or no one and thus the technology would be kept a secret amongst a small group.

Have I missed anything here, or is that pretty much what the general consensus for time travel logic is?

[Anonymous No.6398435]

>>6398432
Also, that second theory is the one that most films and shows adhere to when it comes to time travel, as it makes for a more interesting story to allow changes in the timeline - but they never explore how selfish it is.

There's an article somewhere on how Back To The Future does this, but I'm watching Heroes and the time traveller Hiro Nakamura does it constantly, with no one noticing that he changes anything other than Ando, the guy he takes with him.

[Anonymous No.6398444]

You can find the consensus on our other thread about time travel:

>>6395855

[Anonymous No.6398445]

>>6398444
Huh. Didn't realise there was a thread already, my bad.

[Anonymous No.6400475]

>>6398432
>So I was recently thinking about time travel, from an outsider's perspective

Where is the past?

Point to it.

[Anonymous No.6401812]

The paradox is resolved when thinking of splitting the time linie.