An Alternate Solution to the Grandfather Paradox

What if, instead of the hefty requirement of a virtually infinite number of parallel universes, there is in fact only one single experiential universe, and when one commits the worst of time travel paradoxes, the quintessential grandfather paradox, the result is not a paradox, but instead the TT returns to his present time to be a man out of time. Meaning, nobody knows who the hell he is or why he has infiltrated the facility and is using the time machine. Let's review here, several on this forum have reported instances in their life when they either remember something happening that the rest of the world remembers distinctly differently, or they do not remember something that everyone else distinctly remembers have "always been that way". Examples are the dead celebrity and the overnight complete building, respectively. So there is empirical, er, uh, ... I mean to say anecdotal evidence at least that some people do seem to have some special ability to perceive what I prefer to call, "the original relevant timeline". Wouldn't the time traveler who killed off his grandfather be the supreme case of this phenomena, in that he remembers an entire life of his own that nobody else remembers. This would be the real peril in killing your ancestors, as none of your loved ones (let's hope the TT has some anyway) , ... would LOVE you. None of your family would know who you are. Your boss, the guy that runs the TT program, wouldn't know or believe you, unless you were really close to him and could tell him his deepest darkest secrets. I just can't wrap my head around how if you have the ability to move at will through time, how killing your grandfather would equate to your elimination, if you're the guy (or gal) with the Time machine, and you're alive and well. I find it easier to believe that you'd just return to a world where you never existed as far as anybody else was concerned, but you'd have a lifetime of memories locked in your head. Many scientist have preferred the multiverse explanation as the way to fit logic into the apparently illogical situation, but some who have posted here seem to suggest that other solutions to this paradox may exist.

I think there are two simple potential solutions to the grandfather paradox. I will list them in the order that is most likely.

(a) Time travel to the past is not possible and therefore the paradox doesn't actually exist in reality.

(b) If time travel to the past does exist in the future, we can be assured that our grandfather was never killed. The present, as we know it, is as it is after incorporating any interference from the future. So, even if I was deadset on going back and personally killing my grandfather, I can be assured that I will somehow be prevented. My very existence ensures that I never successfully gone back and killed him, even if I wanted to.

Moz

sounds like fate/destiny/predetermination/predestination you're talking about in option b above...
Fate is not scientifically explainable no matter how one may vainly attempt to spin it.

AuditorMaterial said:

sounds like fate/destiny/predetermination/predestination you're talking about in option b above...
Fate is not scientifically explainable no matter how one may vainly attempt to spin it.

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I don't think it's "fate" anymore than it is to say that it's fate that I exist because I exist.

Rather, I'm saying that because I do exist, I can be assured that my grandfather didn't die before he conceived my parent, even though it was possible during his time to have a time traveler come back and kill him.

So, rather than it being "fate" stopping me from killing him, were I determined to do as such, it would be more accurate to say I could predict that I am going to fail based upon the fact that I exist today. I don't know if that makes more sense.

Moz

Descartes declared "I think, therefore I am".

The time-traveller declares, "I think, therefore my Grandfather is".

Mylo.X. said:

Descartes declared "I think, therefore I am".

The time-traveller declares, "I think, therefore my Grandfather is".

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Either way, one would be a fool to even attempt it in the first place! I;m curious what Einstein and that guy who posted about the hijacking and Olympics being different than he remembered have to say about it, as i believe they both have memories that conflict with history.

AuditorMaterial said:

Either way, one would be a fool to even attempt it in the first place! I;m curious what Einstein and that guy who posted about the hijacking and Olympics being different than he remembered have to say about it, as i believe they both have memories that conflict with history.

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It's funny you mention those theories of conflicting memories. This week I was shown that Steve Perry of Journey was still alive. I was certain he died in the late 90's and that is why the band replaced him as lead singer.

Time Will Wipe Us Out said:

It's funny you mention those theories of conflicting memories. This week I was shown that Steve Perry of Journey was still alive. I was certain he died in the late 90's and that is why the band replaced him as lead singer.

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What precisely do you remember Steve Perry passing away with? Cancer? Car accident? Over dose? Or was it just a general "in-the-back-of-your-mind" type feeling?

Mylo.X. said:

What precisely do you remember Steve Perry passing away with? Cancer? Car accident? Over dose? Or was it just a general "in-the-back-of-your-mind" type feeling?

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Heart attack. I think 1995. But, alas, he's alive and well.

Time Will Wipe Us Out said:

Heart attack. I think 1995. But, alas, he's alive and well.

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So do you have any theories on how he came back alive?

And have you found any other people that also remember the passing of Steve Perry?

I announced quite confidently in a room of 10 people, "but too bad Steve Perry's dead." And everybody disagreed.

My best guess is that I'm simply mistaken and that I picked up that he died around the time Journey replaced him as lead singer.

Now, if Brad Delp from Boston comes back, then I'll know for sure something is up! I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard about his death.

Moz

And in confirming Delp's death, I learned Boston finally released their sixth album. I suppose it can't be worse than the 2002 album!

Moz

If you keep asking around on forums, you may come across other people with the same memory of Steve Perry's passing.

When I mentioned Roger Ebert's passing in the mid 90's, another person came forward with the same memory. Also my ex-wife also recalls his passing in mid 90's as well.

The most popular alive-again personalities seem to be Nelson Mandela, Billy Graham & Ernest Borgnine. Obviously, the only one of the 3 still alive now is Billy Graham. I have spoken to a few people who remembered the death of Mandela in the 80's when he was incarcerated on Robben Island.

Curiously, both Mandela and Graham were born in the same year, 1918. Borgnine was born in 1917. Both Borgnine and Mandela died aged 95. If Graham happened to pass away this year (perish the thought) he would also be 95.

well I for one am a "believer" (for lack of substantial irrefutable evidence that can withstand criticism), that some folks just have the ability to remember the ORT (original relevant timeline), but exactly how I haven't resolved yet. A good friend of mine has an interesting interpretation of this, that if one can remember the ORT, then if means one is very close to the TT, or in fact is the TT, but I can't reconcile that idea with ORT experiences I've had. I've been meaning to post my ORT experiences, but I've been working long hours these past couple of weeks, and I have 3 cans of Long Island Iced Tea sitting here in front of me, and I have learned never to post while inebriated...

AuditorMaterial said:

A good friend of mine has an interesting interpretation of this, that if one can remember the ORT, then if means one is very close to the TT, or in fact is the TT, but I can't reconcile that idea with ORT experiences I've had. I've been meaning to post my ORT experiences.....

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I have always speculatively thought of the alive-again phenomenon as a crossing of alternate realities as opposed to time-travel. But obviously my way of thinking has obvious problems such as this:

50 people have memories of Mandela dying in Prison in 1988. If those people then cross over into a reality whereupon Mandela is still alive in 1988, then what happened to the original people of 1988 (where Mandela did not die)? Did they cross over to a reality where Mandela died in the 1980's?

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear your account when time permits for yourself (no pun intended).

OMG...Deja-vue all over again... I remember discussing this same topic before.
Oh yea... we did... it was here...
A Discovered Time Traveler | Time Travel Institute

I'm really not trying to be a smart-ass. We discussed bad memory before and I offer it to this thread for more info without re-posting all the same stuff again. I'm trying to save some room on the internet. Don't want to overflow it.
This is one of Einstein's favorite topics, un-dead celebrities.