I've been thinking a bit about time travel. Admittedly, I've been viewing excessive amounts of Star Trek TNG, however I am still inspired to muse on a subject I've been interested in a long time. It has long been considered that a wormhole or similar tear in the space-time continuum, if properly controlled, can act as a doorway from not only one point in space to another, but also one point in time to another. It has been extrapolated that one could potentially travel not only to the future, but also to the past.
This theory has long been considered unlikely due to the extreme energy required to even create a stable wormhole that can be utilized with any predictability, tho may be plausible with future improvements in technology. It has however been brought to my attention that this theory may be moving out of the realm of plausible with recent developments in the study of time.
It is being considered that future developments may enable such a power source to generate the vast amount of positive energy, or inversely negative energy, required to provide such conditions to be possible to stabilize a wormhole, however the nature of time itself is leading many in the field to believe that only forward movement in time may be possible.
In the first three dimensions, length, width, and height, one can move in any direction. As an object of mass moves in any of those directions, it moves along a specific arc along the space-time continuum, perceived as gravity. The theory of relativity states that perception of the movements of mass can be altered by the relative position of the mass in movement and the observer. It appears that the perception of time may be altered to appear to move more quickly or more slowly. It does not, however, state that the perception can be slowed down beyond that forward moving direction and actually reverse itself.
This idea made me wonder about many things. First, my own perception of time travel. I enjoy thinking about possibilities, and as any being of loss may attest to, it is tantalizing to ponder the possibility of re-connecting with a lost loved one, re-work mistakes in ones own past, or even to simply enjoy once again moments of joy or exhilaration from one's past. It is part of the human condition to believe that extreme disasters could be avoided, that loved ones are never truly gone, or one can simply observe the events of the past to see how accurately our facts represent our own history.
And it is equally fun to ponder any effects such an action may have on the events to follow. One theory revolves around the idea that the same mass cannot occupy the same point in space at conflicting times, making the prospect of meeting one's past or future self a highly dangerous endeavor.
Another suggests that altering any sort of past events, no matter the significance of the event, will irrevocably alter all events to follow, making it trigger an unstable reality that spirals out of control. This 'butterfly effect' will cause the alternate reality to implode on itself, possibly due to increasing tears in the space-time continuum that compound and snowball as events move away from their natural gravitational arc.
I've always enjoyed films on the subject. The first I recall watching as a kid was Back to the Future. I obviously don't need to go into the plot of the film as I'm sure many are familiar. If not, google! Anyway, this film explores the butterfly effect, the meeting of not only one's different time self, but also those directly involved with the creation of the observer, in this case, Marty's parents.
I've since gone on to films like 12 Monkeys, positing that no matter the intents or actions done to alleviate the past, it is only possible to observe the past, and that any actions done while in the past time have already been accomplished, and that one's fate has already presented itself. The Butterfly Effect further explored the theory of it's own title. Donny Darko explored the mechanics of wormhole regulation and the conditions required to travel through. It also explores the instability of any alternate reality that may occur and that time must be brought back to its main arc.
Interesting stuff.
With the recent developments, it seems that no matter the attempt at traveling through the space-time continuum at will, we would only be able to move forward, making all this speculation moot.
But then I started to wonder about a few other ideas. The first being the immediate perception of ideas we are just beginning to understand. When science first started to analyze the concept of space and the earth's relation to other objects, it was believed that the earth was flat. That travel too far to one direction or the other would cause one to fall from the surface of the earth. It was once believed that the entire universe revolved around the earth. Once it was realized that perception had not extended its range of sight far enough, it was found that the earth was not flat, but spherical, held together by forces at the atomic level as well as by the accumulation of mass that drew objects to each other. It was discovered that not only did the earth revolve around the sun, but that even the sun itself was not the center of the universe. Each time perception was moved farther forward, a line became a revolution or an arc, and eventually a cycle once appeared. Then alterations in cycles were discovered to state that even they would end at some point. The sun would eventually run out of energy and life cycles would end. But what about larger cycles that enveloped the smaller ones that we are more easily able to perceive?
Imagine, if you will, the perception of the first person to see the sun. See it move across the sky, then disappear over the horizon. Imagine the horror at being in the dark, not knowing if light would ever return, only to find it come back in a few hours. Then again the next time. Then the daily cycle developed. Then weeks. Then months. In early religions, some believed that only as long as the gods perceived appeasement would these cycles continue. The sun god drew the necessary warmth daily to energize crops. Lunar cycles were controlled to maintain tides. Seasons and weather were subject to the gods, providing amply crops or removing them entirely producing extreme drought and famine.
Each time that the cycle was reviewed and examined, a greater regulating cycle appeared to help explain, and limitations of mental development advanced accordingly.
So finally we come to the big bang theory. It is proposed that all energy and matter are moving away from a single location, where it once all existed in a highly powerful force of mass and energy. I'm no expert on this, however it seems that once the less powerful force of gravity was increased enough, its power exceeded it's regulation sub-atomic force causing a massive explosion that sent all we see and experience hurling away from the point of origin. In essence, gravity exceeded the molecular bond that hold that matter together. Thus a larger (or in this case, more powerful, not 'larger') regulating force was exceeded by the force it governs. This suggests, at first, that this direction is irreversible, and that this movement can only operate in one direction.
Then consider the first law of thermodynamics. This states the energy in a closed system is static. It can neither be created, nor destroyed, but simply changes form without the application of outside forces. In essence, true perpetual motion is impossible, and the energy required to move an object is limited to the amount of work it can achieve in its environment. The energy applied to the system transforms into heat as it is applied, and once the transfer is complete, the work ends and only low-grade heat remains. The energy is still there, but not in its potential form. It transfers from potential, to kinetic, to low-grade heat.
Thus, when applied to the big bang theory, it would seem that once this system has expended its energy, it will no longer have any potential, and the universe as we know it would end.
That is based on the idea that this explosion would be a closed system. It is not, however, the only factor. Remember that the subatomic bond was exceeded by the pressure of gravity. Would it then be possibly for gravity to then recover from the kinetic energy produced? Does the mass simply disappear? Or is it possible that gravity would eventually collect up its mass and start to reunite the matter of the system and naturally return it to potential? There are two possibilities.
The big bang theory describes the expansion of the universe. Thus the big bang wasn't an explosion 'in' space, but rather an expansion of it. This idea is extrapolated by the research on the types of energy within the system. Most that we can see, feel, or perceive are what was present in the original big bang. Vast concentrations of matter and energy that were being propelled outward. Thus, most of the original big bang consisted of highly dense energy. In-between these pockets of energy was something little is known about...dark energy. At on time, the universe was much hotter and much closer together. As the universe expanded, the spaces between these pockets grew. This implies that galaxies were once much closer together, and are moving away from each other.
Further, it is generally accepted that this process is accelerating. That brings us to the two possiblities of the energy of the system. Either the gravity that formed atomic particles, then atoms, then masses will reach an escape velocity and keep moving away from each other for eternity, leaving only the low grade heat that exists in a closed system. The second possibility is that the masses will eventually reach a large enough size that their respective gravities will overcome the initial force of the system and start drawing the masses and energies back to their original state. This would entail a second part of the big bang theory and expansive universe, namely that of a big crunch theory and a contracting universe.
There is little evidence to know for sure which one is true, as it is so far beyond our experience to truly know if the universe will ever stop expanding. Are we a one-time shot of a cosmic singularity, destined to go out in a single flame of glory? Or does the system actually have a cycle. Those to experience the first day might have been terrified of the prospect of the first night, the prospect that it was all over and so quickly. But a cycle was discovered. Is it also possible that this cosmic force has a counter-force, or even a regulatory system beyond the dimensions of space and time?
Our mastery over the third dimension has caused us to explore the fourth, time. In our perception, the only measurable observations of time exist within the expanding universe, so we can only perceive the linear movement of the space-time continuum. But does the arc of time stretch for so long that it's dimension eventually loops back on itself?
One can only speculate.
But consider the traditional notions of traveling back in time. They suggest that to travel back in time, one must force this force to move in the opposite direction at will. Not only does it seem unlikely that it can be reversed, but that it is implausible altogether. But what if the notion of traveling back in time does not entail reverse a force with such power has nothing to do with a reverse course?
Imagine the force of one of the most incredibly powerful natural occurences on earth: glacial movement. There is not really a way to even fathom reversing their course of our own volition. They seem to move at will based solely on the temperature of the earth. Thus moving them would be much more difficult that a billion ton flame-thrower or a mile high snow machine. It would ential willfully altering the temperature of the planet itself. Hell, we can barely provide sufficient power to heat and cool our own homes without damaging this system of climate we rely so heavily on for survival.
It would seem that we could possibly nudge it in the direction it is already going, but to reverse it's course? Not likely. Not only that, but if there is a problem with the direction of their movements, how would accelerating their course help? Rising sea levels due to glacial contraction wouldn't get any better by melting them faster. And reversing course seems beyond our capabilities.
So it would seem that backwards time travel would require control of an unstoppable force. A force that moves in the direction it is inclined to, even if we could influence it somehow. We might be able to accelerate time in the direction it is moving, possibly even travel from one moment to a future moment. Our planet very likely would be non-existent by the time the universe starts contracting, if that is even the nature of our path at all.
So now, let's move from physics into an even more controversial topic...metaphysics. Metaphysics, philosophy, consciousness. It is our perception that we travel a path. That that path moves from one place to another in a natural order. We have our own free will to effect events as they come, but once an event happens, its time comes and then is gone. We have always mourned the loss of loved ones. We have always lamented the finality of our existence. We create gods to make us sleep better at night, hoping that our perception is somehow limited. That information is kept from us and that there is something else out there. It is the same impulse that causes us to desire to find other life beyond this planet. Is there anybody out there? As Fox Mulder might say, I want to believe. That is the only reason to philosophize at all. The simple hope that there is something out there, or someone.
So imagine our own minds, our own perceptions or our environment, our own search for spiritual fulfillment. Is there an interconnectedness of things?
In our search to understand sound, we developed ways of discerning patterns. In our search to understand numbers we organized them in ways that made sense. In our quest, we found that mathematics can be applied to sound. We found that each distinct sound had a related frequency, a related wave of energy. We found connections between those notes and found that notes we perceived to be pleasing had a mathematical relationship to one another. In our study of beauty, we developed a taste for art. We found that mathematics could describe the relationships of images that seemed to please the eye. We found shapes, triangles, squares. Mathematics also applies to art now? Can art apply to sound as well? We learned to organize sound as an art. We learned to develop art as a science.
The interconnectedness of our physical environment is undeniable. Our relationships with aspects of that environment creates a situation of cause and effect. Likewise, our relationships with other beings in that environment have an effect. So how, then, does our environment effect us? We get cold when it does, and hot as well. Is that the limit of its effect, and is that the end of our relationship. Is it a one way street?
From a basic perception, we are completely at the mercy of our environment. Yet the more we study it, the more we realize our capabilities within that force. Further, we begin to notice how much that envirnment mimics our very own existence. Electricity exists within nature. It also exists within the mind. Water cycles through different forms on earth, and likewise cycles through our bodies. The more we map the neurons in the brain, the more familiar it seems to be. The closer it seems to mimic the universe. The movement of energy within our bodies.
Does our knowledge of these have an upper limit, a ceiling? Does our experience end with the body? All these philosophical questions may have a correlation with the experience the universe itself is experiences. It has been suggested in some religions that our experience on a cosmic level isn't limited to simply one lifetime. That we come back through reincarnation to further advance our spirit. Then the other idea posted...do we have a final destination? Is experience ever completed? Is it ever over? These questions seem to mimic our investigation of the universe, and our travel through it.
Now suppose again the concept of time travel, and relate it to the possibilities of experience. What if the nature of the universe does eventually cause it to collapse and re-explode again? Is there any correlation to our own mental and spiritual nature? If so, does time truly effect us in the cosmic sense? Are we simply limited to incarnating in future lives? What if the essence of our energy is immortal, and exists beyond the experience of time? Could it be conceivable that one could exist beyond the expanding universe, beyond the contracting universe, and into the next incarnation of existence. If our energy is always there, does it ever die?
It seems plausible, if that is the condition of our nature, we could possibly move from our current moment in time to another. But to do it at will? If the universe is a cycle of expansion and contraction, and is in an ever forward moving system, could it be possible to move so far forward in time to surpass the existing universal expansion itself into its own next incarnation? Could it be possible to measure relocating to a point in the future universe's existence to be in a location behind our current location, thus landing in a place perceivable as a past location, when in fact it is so far forward that events are happening again?
Then let's extrapolate even further. Let's consider this second big bang. Would it reverse and then expand in such a course that events turn out exactly how they did the previous time? That scenario is very questionable. That would suggest that free will does not exist and that no matter the perception of choice, all things are predestined. In philosophical terms, that is a very disheartening prospect, for nothing we do or learn will ever matter, that it is simply a time loop. Would that make the experience of life meaningless? Do we exist simply to experience what we are destined to?
This brings yet another question. A few, actually. First, consider that the universe expands with its own matter and energy. Does it truly get larger and smaller, or simply exist in a single location? This is a compelling line of query, for it is a truly expansive idea. If the universe creates itself over and over again, are all those incarnations ever in different locations? Does each incarnation have its own footprint, essentially forming congruent alternate universes? Are they similar? Vastly different? Identical? Do we all exist in each reality? And then expand thought even further...are there other universes out there, existing in the same way ours is in a different location?
All these questions seem very promising for discovery. Hell, we may even eventually actually discover that there is a finality. That we will all float off into space in the form of low-grade heat, that entropy eventually overtakes all other forces in nature and existence no longer...exists? Curious.
And one finally, are we inescapably linked within this system, and are encased within it, or are we an outside force acting within it? Causing its perpetuation in some way, or even simply experiencing it as an observer? And what possibilities lie outside of those dimensions we can even currently perceive? If we are simply mortals, backwards time is neither useful nor desired, and is entirely moot. If our knowledge of the universe can expand outside of it, would it be possible to eventually rule time as we now can operate within the physical forces of our third dimensional knowledge?
We may never know. And admittedly, I'm not smart enough to even properly explain what we have discovered, much less have the hubris to believe that I am intelligent enough to extrapolate beyond that. But it is fun to think about.
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