Physicists: Sorry, you can't travel back in time

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SampSon

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
7,160
1
0
Humans are so funny. We think we actually know enough about the universe to make wide all encompassing assertions about the physics of the entire universe.

Reality is we don't know a damn thing. Everything we know is through our perception and defined by systems we created. Quite egotistical.
 

mooncancook

Platinum Member
May 28, 2003
2,874
50
91
Originally posted by: SampSon
Humans are so funny. We think we actually know enough about the universe to make wide all encompassing assertions about the physics of the entire universe.

Reality is we don't know a damn thing. Everything we know is through our perception and defined by systems we created. Quite egotistical.

Sig worthy!
 

Rage187

Lifer
Dec 30, 2000
14,276
4
81
Technically, you could move fast enough away from a clock to see the hands go backwards. But you would only be seeing the light from the past.
 

SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
Originally posted by: SampSon
Humans are so funny. We think we actually know enough about the universe to make wide all encompassing assertions about the physics of the entire universe.

Reality is we don't know a damn thing. Everything we know is through our perception and defined by systems we created. Quite egotistical.

I tried to say that, but it came out wrong... hehe.
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,914
5,016
136
Originally posted by: cRazYdood
Originally posted by: JS80
can't you theoretically SEE into the past though?

You see into the past when you look at the stars...

By that logic, it's the same if you shine a flashlight into your eyes (it's just not as far into the "past").
The same could be said about sound; therefore whenever you hear something you are "hearing the past".

When you smell something, it had to travel through nerves to the brain, so I guess we're all smelling the past as well.

:clock:

 

91TTZ

Lifer
Jan 31, 2005
14,374
1
0
I don't know why people think that we're able to travel back in time.

Think about it... if we ever could, we always have. Unless you're telling me that nobody in the history of mankind ever thought of traveling further back than March 12, 2007.

I do think that we'll be able to go forward in time, though, since that really only requires putting yourself in suspended animation.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
I don't know why people think that we're able to travel back in time.

Think about it... if we ever could, we always have. Unless you're telling me that nobody in the history of mankind ever thought of traveling further back than March 12, 2007.

I do think that we'll be able to go forward in time, though, since that really only requires putting yourself in suspended animation.


maybe we have and we don't really know about it which is what ufos are good for. :p


 

91TTZ

Lifer
Jan 31, 2005
14,374
1
0
Originally posted by: SampSon
Humans are so funny. We think we actually know enough about the universe to make wide all encompassing assertions about the physics of the entire universe.

Reality is we don't know a damn thing. Everything we know is through our perception and defined by systems we created. Quite egotistical.

Some systems, such as the notion of God, we created.

But others, such as physics, have always been there, and we merely observed them.
 

mooncancook

Platinum Member
May 28, 2003
2,874
50
91
Originally posted by: feralkid
Originally posted by: cRazYdood
Originally posted by: JS80
can't you theoretically SEE into the past though?

You see into the past when you look at the stars...

By that logic, it's the same if you shine a flashlight into your eyes (it's just not as far into the "past").
The same could be said about sound; therefore whenever you hear something you are "hearing the past".

When you smell something, it had to travel through nerves to the brain, so I guess we're all smelling the past as well.

:clock:

My brain Xplode!
 

91TTZ

Lifer
Jan 31, 2005
14,374
1
0
Originally posted by: pontifex

i didn't think we could travel at light speed yet?
meh anyway, i always hate reading these things because everyone talks in current technology. who knows what we'll have 100 years down the line?

I love when people make statements like that but don't realize the logical flaw.

"Maybe we'll be able to go back in time... in the future"

Think about it... if we ever were able to go back in time, we'd see time machines all around us. Surely everyone would be rushing to be the first guy to invent a time machine and strike it rich, and they'd all fight it out by going back in time to be the "first" one to invent it. The fact that we don't have them now pretty much tells you that we never will.
 

91TTZ

Lifer
Jan 31, 2005
14,374
1
0
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
I don't know why people think that we're able to travel back in time.

Think about it... if we ever could, we always have. Unless you're telling me that nobody in the history of mankind ever thought of traveling further back than March 12, 2007.

I do think that we'll be able to go forward in time, though, since that really only requires putting yourself in suspended animation.


maybe we have and we don't really know about it which is what ufos are good for. :p

If there are UFOs, then there has to be old UFOs. And if there are old UFOs, then there must be alien pimps.
 

allies

Platinum Member
Jun 18, 2002
2,572
0
71
Anyone hear about the entangled proton experiment? To prove that we can predict the future/travel back in time?
 

BeauJangles

Lifer
Aug 26, 2001
13,941
1
0
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: SampSon
Humans are so funny. We think we actually know enough about the universe to make wide all encompassing assertions about the physics of the entire universe.

Reality is we don't know a damn thing. Everything we know is through our perception and defined by systems we created. Quite egotistical.

Some systems, such as the notion of God, we created.

But others, such as physics, have always been there, and we merely observed them.

Either that is true or our creation of physics mirrors the reality of the universe so well that they are indistinguishable. The same can be said of math. Whether numbers drive the universe or simply describe the universe perfectly doesn't matter.
 

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
56,336
11
0
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: pontifex

i didn't think we could travel at light speed yet?
meh anyway, i always hate reading these things because everyone talks in current technology. who knows what we'll have 100 years down the line?
I love when people make statements like that but don't realize the logical flaw.

"Maybe we'll be able to go back in time... in the future"

Think about it... if we ever were able to go back in time, we'd see time machines all around us. Surely everyone would be rushing to be the first guy to invent a time machine and strike it rich, and they'd all fight it out by going back in time to be the "first" one to invent it. The fact that we don't have them now pretty much tells you that we never will.
By going to the past, you alter the outcome of the present which causes an alternate but equal reality to exist. In other words, to the people who exist in that alternate reality do not know about the existence of the original reality. What would be real cool is to be able to hop between the different instances.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
22,367
6,503
136
Originally posted by: SSSnail
If you can't travel backwards, you can't travel forwards either. Prove to me that I'm wrong.

First you prove that there is such a thing as time.