Who
hasn’t wondered about time travel? With all the shows present today such as Dr.
Who and Futurama, and also plain old human nature, how could you not wonder
about the possibilities? Even though, according to Sarah Goudarzi, there are
many scientists who believe time travel cannot be realized, with the
advancement of math and human knowledge, who is to say that time travel cannot
one day be possible? Although some believe that traveling to the past is
impossible, that is more easily acceptable because there have been no
experiments to prove otherwise, only theories. Traveling to the future, on the
other hand has been tested. One day with the right equipment, then we will
figure out a way to travel to the future. Even
though it’s been more easily proven that people could someday travel into the
future, according to a mathematician named Godel, if we make “a round trip on a
rocket ship in a sufficiently wide course it is possible… to travel into any
region of the past, present and future” (Davies 243).
Even though several sources seem to think that travel into
the past is possible, some also believe that it isn’t possible to travel to any
time before a time machine was ever invented. When it comes to how close we are
to actually achieving time travel, we are significantly closer to someday
traveling to the future. Traveling into the past would require
worm-holes and black-holes, all kinds of holes, while traveling to the future
would only require “getting to the future more quickly” in comparison
(Al-Khalili, 121). We aren’t sure that any of this hole business would work,
but on the other hand, there have been experiments that show how traveling into
the future, even if by a miniscule amount today, is possible. With this experiment, an example was made
about a girl named Alice and her brother. Alice is the one who went into space
and later returned younger than her brother. Jim
Al-Khalili says that “less time elapses for her, she is moving on a
different time track to Earth’s,” (114) which is what makes the new age
difference between her and her brother. Could you imagine all the
possibilities when we someday have a better understanding of mathematics and
science? Even though today the difference is tiny, some day the difference
could advance to days, months or even years in difference.
In
just two decades, the technology involved in a cell phone, for example has
exceeded what so many people would have expected. If scientists spend more time
making experiments like the one with Alice and her brother, then maybe
sometimes in the next few centuries, we will have a time machine. If you listen
to the theory of relativity, then space and time are the same thing (Ramirez).
So in theory, if it’s possible to travel through space, then it should also be
possible to travel through time. This theory of relativity is really a theory,
though and not fact. So it’s difficult to assume that time travel exists based
off of that one idea.
When
it comes down to it, creating a time machine is not a priority for scientists.
Although it’s an interesting idea, its not something that’s necessary for the
human race. If anything, it would actually probably harm us due to all the
paradoxes that comes along with messing with time. However, the fact that a
time machine has not been invented yet does not mean that it will never be
invented sometime in the future.
Work Cited
Al-Khalili, Jim. Black
Holes, Wormholes, and Time Machines.
England: CRC Press, 2012. Print
Davies, Paul. About Time. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.
Print
Goudarzi, Sara. “You Can’t Travel Back in Time,
Scientists Say” Live Science. 7 March
2007. Web. 3 Nov. 2012.
Ramirez, Anthony. “Time
Travel Isn’t What it Used to Be.” New York Times. 28 Jul. 2002. Pg C3. Historical NY
Times. Web. 12 Oct. 2012.
I'm slightly convinced that time travel may exist because if astronauts are able to go into space and have a different time schedule as us, what makes it any difference if we can do it ourselves here on Earth? We already live in a world where there is different time zones. I know it's silly to say, but if you travel back and forth from one side of the world to the other wouldn't you be traveling either back or forward anyways?
ReplyDeleteBut if not a lot of cases have been used, it leaves me to think that it might not be possible. Why aren't there no evidence on Alice and her brother other than what Al-Khalili said. Why is that the only case that was even done? I feel like now people are beginning to question it's existence because of shows like you've mentioned. Doctor Who is a great example of presenting to people what may be possible even though it's a show and might exaggerate a little bit of things.
I feel like space is a very good source of evidence, but technology is lacking in helping the cause. Theories are being created, but scientists aren't going further in using the tools they already have. Space shouldn't be the only thing to rely on. Is it possible to not travel to Space in order to prove that time travel can occur?
I think if they want to prove that time travel is in our mist they need to dig in a little deeper and get more people involved. Just like they made cell phones like you mentioned, I think they can advance our technology in years to come.
Personally, I find the concept of time travel to be completely fascinating. The thought of being able to go back in time and changing something you’ll always regret, or going into the future to see how you end up, incredible isn’t it? You provided a lot of good points about the possible existence of time travel technology but overall, especially with the ethical conflictions, I don’t believe time travel will become a possibility.
ReplyDeleteYou put it perfectly when you say that it may do more harm than good because of all of the paradoxes and what not. There are far too many negative outcomes of time travel and very few positive outcomes, so ethically speaking, I don’t think science is going to progress to that point. It’s far too complex of a concept with too many loopholes and detrimental possibilities.
On top of that, you mentioned the media portrayal of time travel. It’s a lot of fiction and cartoons and overly exaggerated situations for a reason, it’s just too far-fetched of a concept to be real. I found your post to be really interesting and definitely had me second guessing my original opinions for a bit, but in the end, I still don’t see it happening to us.
I love the concept of time travel, especially in films and television shows. True, all of those shows and movies are fictional and illogical in several aspects, but it's very fascinating to see what it would be like to go back in time, and see things that we read about in our history textbooks in high school.
ReplyDeleteI would never rule out the possibility that time travel exists. Simply because, it seems that with the fast advancing technology, it seems that anything technical can be possible. Even if it takes centuries, there can be a way for scientists to build a time machine, and travel through time.
However, it also seems extremely unlikely for the time being. There is very little research done on the subject, and therefore, we can only make uneducated assumptions. I do hope in the near future that further research is done, and hopefully one day it would be truly possible.