--- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "matrixmonitor" > <matrixmonitor@> wrote: > > Q's lesson: think twice before messing with the past. an > > alternative past may turn out worse than the "real" past. > > It's occurred to me to wonder (fancifully) whether > the fact that we never seem to be able to nail down > the details of what actually happened in major > catastrophes--there always seem to be masses of > contradictory evidence, leading to all kinds of > conspiracy theories--is a function of people from > various times in the future coming back to try to > alter the events in different ways in an attempt > to make their futures turn out better. > > In other words, no such major event happened *just > one way*, but rather several different ways, all > superimposed on each other, all with different > details. > > It would make a good science fiction story, at any > rate! >
Check out _Thrice Upon a Time_ by James P Hogan for one exploration of this. Rather than "coming back from the future," the researchers discover that they have an extremely limited way of communicating with themselves in the very recent past (24 hour time limit). http://www.jamesphogan.com/books/thrice/baen00/titlepage.shtml' There's also the TV show, "7 Days," about "Project Backstep," which allows a single "chrononaught" to travel back in time 7 days and attempt to avert disaster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Days There's also Benedict from Roger Zelazny's Amber series, who, as Knight-Marshal of Amber, would "Walk through Shadow" and view a battle from various viewpoints with slightly different conditions in order to test his theories of War. All of these assume that there is only ONE observed "reality," regardless of how many potential realities there are, but that's the only interpretation of QM that I've heard of. Even the "Many Worlds" theory doesn't allow for multiple observations once an event is actually observed. A few more fantasy-oriented stories have examined something along this line, though. In Jordan's Wheel of Time series, there is a use of the One Power called "balefire" which actually removes an object from all existence. The more power used, the further back its "thread" is burned out of the Pattern. It's the ultimate Deus Ex Machina in the series since any event can be undone. The drawback is that while *people* might have confused memories of the original object (or creature), the physical effects of that object are undone in time, which makes for rather bizarre contradictions. The more power used, the more dangerous the contradictions. Rather than merely killing your grandfather, what if you destroy the birthplace of your grandfather, 200 years into the past? What happens to Reality in that kind of situation? ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Something is new at Yahoo! Groups. Check out the enhanced email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/jDk17A/gOaOAA/i1hLAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
