Question Regarding Multiverse Theory

[aNorthernSoul]

Hi, just a little big question... so, based on the multiverse theory which suggests that if one were to travel back in time and cause a change to occur, the existing present would still exist, and the altered future would also exist in some parallel dimension/time/reality... For those that feel the multiverse theory has some weight, I have a minor question... If this were to occur, and you then travelled back to your present time, which reality would you return to and would you still exist in both dimensions/timelines/realities simultaneously? This question isn't posed as some method of gotcha, I was just pondering it and wondered if there were any theories on this already floating out there by anyone really, but even better someone actually qualified to theorize on it. Anyway, just interested in people's thoughts on it.

 

[AnnetteMarie]

exactly, and if you changed some other 'verse, and went back to your own, then what would be the point? and if you didn't go back to where you started from, then the poor schmuck that was you then, if they spontaneously zapped into existence in your place, well, you left them in the same fix you were in to start with.

it gives me a headache

 

[aNorthernSoul]

Ha! Indeed it does. I wonder if you'd then be bound to the new altered reality and you would cease to exist in the original one upon exiting it. But if that was the case, would you be going back to your past in the originally mentioned timeline or would you actually be creating a new alternate past as well by travelling backwards in time?

 

[AnnetteMarie]

I don't know!!! but when it happens I will take notes

 

[Stagger]

Hiya,
Far from being the expert, but here's my 2 eurocents:

Multiverse really refers to a whole bunch of different things both in real science and science-fiction, but clearly you are talking about the many-worlds hypothesis. AFAIK it doesn't really say anything about time travel to the past being possible or impossible. It appears that the jury is still out on whether time travel to the past is possible, but it doesn't really click well with mainstream physics (violating causality is one of the problems, in fact). But the many worlds interpretation gets away with some of the problems, because reality keeps on splitting up every time two or more paths can be taken. So events it the timeline you "come from" would be preserved. Which reality would you go back to? Many new ones! Because by doing whatever you have done in your time travel back to the past you have caused reality to split up again and again. So there would be many "yous" out there, and yes the original "you" from before the time travel are also out there, each on a different path.
Which one of them is the real "you" is more like a philosophical question..

Cheers,
L

 

[aNorthernSoul]

Well, purely based on my own personal feelings about stuff, I would suspect they are all segmentations of your same consciousness... But that's my pie in the sky philosophy.

 

[Ally]

My understanding of this is that people are doing these kinds of things all the time. There involves a matter of choice, awareness and frequency. Our culture and language does not understand and has no place to put these concepts. Sorry if that was as clear as mud.

 

[aNorthernSoul]

My understanding of this is that people are doing these kinds of things all the time. There involves a matter of choice, awareness and frequency. Our culture and language does not understand and has no place to put these concepts. Sorry if that was as clear as mud.

Hm, do you mean something like unconsciously communicating "direction" of a sort to other segments of your consciousness that operate on other planes of existence?

 

[Stagger]

Well, purely based on my own personal feelings about stuff, I would suspect they are all segmentations of your same consciousness... But that's my pie in the sky philosophy.

Yummy, I like pie! (I know what the expression means, it's just my trashy English kicking in). Intuitively, I would expect you are very right about that.

 

[conor]

I think that the multiverse theory is one which is very much still in it's inception stage as a theory. And it seems to me that, if it is correct, in any of it's forms, then it would be next to impossible to test unless some new invention allows you to travel through this strange multiverse. EVEN if they get a proof for string theory, the multiverse remains an untestable theory. I personally think that fractals are the way to go

But then again, it's one possible way, in one possible universe, in one big possibility

 

[Ally]

Hm, do you mean something like unconsciously communicating "direction" of a sort to other segments of your consciousness that operate on other planes of existence?

Not really. I think conor is right in saying that this theory would be difficult to test. I also think the Multiverse theory could be used as a cop out for the anything goes new age thinking.

Choice can be conscious or unconscious many or one .Awareness changes many things in and of itself. Frequency is a product of an internal or external environment that decides somewhat which reality will be expressed. Again this is just my understanding

 

[aNorthernSoul]

I think that the multiverse theory is one which is very much still in it's inception stage as a theory. And it seems to me that, if it is correct, in any of it's forms, then it would be next to impossible to test unless some new invention allows you to travel through this strange multiverse. EVEN if they get a proof for string theory, the multiverse remains an untestable theory. I personally think that fractals are the way to go

But then again, it's one possible way, in one possible universe, in one big possibility

Heh, see I actually lean more to the idea that time isn't "law" but merely a construct of our consciousness that allows us to operate easily within the three dimensions we are bound too. Of course, I'm not smart enough to come up with any mathematical way to support that idea.

 

[bsvalley]

what I found amazing is that if you really watch this your brain can look at those images any which way and not struggle to make sense of it.
Maybe it's because there is so much going on the brain just has to accept it. But I can see how certain substances could make it better. lol.

I would love to hear a show on this with maybe the God spot Vs. Chaos Vs. Agnostic. It would be a very interesting interview.

 

[aNorthernSoul]

Not really. I think conor is right in saying that this theory would be difficult to test. I also think the Multiverse theory could be used as a cop out for the anything goes new age thinking.

Choice can be conscious or unconscious many or one .Awareness changes many things in and of itself. Frequency is a product of an internal or external environment that decides somewhat which reality will be expressed. Again this is just my understanding

Yeah, I'm not too sure about the theory either which is why I like to explore these scenarios within it. As for "new age," isn't it really just a new spin on VERY old occult thinking? It seems that way to me.

I think you are right on awareness as the idea seems parallel with both the law of intent and how observation can affect things (ie. Wave vs. Particle) in my unprofessional opinion.

 

[dianadee13]

And who says there is one 'real you'? Maybe we can move in and out, changing our futures at any time. And maybe we just dont know we can do it. I know I have many real me's and each one is the real one at any one time. We all change in our lives, the real me that was 10 years ago had many paths to chose from, I often wonder how I'd be now had I chosen another route. Maybe another part of me did and is living it out on another dimention.
I dont know, it is something I ponder on too.

 

[Stagger]

Absolutely. If the multiverse theory is right, there isn't one real you, just many different variations on different paths. BTW: I don't think consciousness has any particular influence or control on this process other than causing it to fork, pretty much like throwing a die would. Also, if you allow for the possibility of one particular person or object arbitrarily jumping in and out paths (thus allowing "merges", rather than just "forks"), you also bring many time-travel problems of non-multiverse theories back in. That would make multiverses a lot less useful in terms of addressing the question originally posed by NothernSoul.

 

[aNorthernSoul]

Oh indeed, I believe the many yous scenario could happen, but be one of two things... a bunch of random yous that are not connected beyond their similarities, or segments of the whole you. For the purposes of the question, I posed it as you as in the you that began the scenario.

dianadee13, when you say that you know you "have many real me's and each one is the real one at any one time" just curious, how do you know this? And as an aside, if you know this, theoretically, while accurate, is it not also possible that there are many yous, but these yous are in just segments of a whole other, much larger consciousness... something like the whole global consciousness thing, but perhaps even larger?

Ha ha! This might be getting too new agey for me.

It's a real love-hate relationship I have with this line of thinking as I can think about it for a lifetime and never really reach any greater knowing for all the thought processes I've invested in it... but I still do it.

 

[dianadee13]

Oh indeed, I believe the many yous scenario could happen, but be one of two things... a bunch of random yous that are not connected beyond their similarities, or segments of the whole you. For the purposes of the question, I posed it as you as in the you that began the scenario.

dianadee13, when you say that you know you "have many real me's and each one is the real one at any one time" just curious, how do you know this? And as an aside, if you know this, theoretically, while accurate, is it not also possible that there are many yous, but these yous are in just segments of a whole other, much larger consciousness... something like the whole global consciousness thing, but perhaps even larger?

Ha ha! This might be getting too new agey for me.

It's a real love-hate relationship I have with this line of thinking as I can think about it for a lifetime and never really reach any greater knowing for all the thought processes I've invested in it... but I still do it.

I wrote a long reply then lost it as I was posting it! Cyberspace has a lot to answer for.
Anyway, a brief answer now. I too dont go with the airy fairy new age stuff but some of its useful to ponder on. To answer your question, I know because I feel deep inside that I am part of something greater than the me that sits writing this. The me that struggled round the town yesterday, (I have intermittent visual difficulties and am not very able bodied) this was as much the real me who is now freely writing. These are the me's I know but then again, there is another me who is often aware of happenings on the other side of the globe, without ever hearing or reading anything. These seemingly random offerings, as you say it may be part of of the other, collective consciousness or even unconscious.
I dont think we can ever prove anything in our present state of consciousness. Who knows but it makes a great debate.

 

[aNorthernSoul]

I wrote a long reply then lost it as I was posting it! Cyberspace has a lot to answer for.
Anyway, a brief answer now. I too dont go with the airy fairy new age stuff but some of its useful to ponder on. To answer your question, I know because I feel deep inside that I am part of something greater than the me that sits writing this. The me that struggled round the town yesterday, (I have intermittent visual difficulties and am not very able bodied) this was as much the real me who is now freely writing. These are the me's I know but then again, there is another me who is often aware of happenings on the other side of the globe, without ever hearing or reading anything. These seemingly random offerings, as you say it may be part of of the other, collective consciousness or even unconscious.
I dont think we can ever prove anything in our present state of consciousness. Who knows but it makes a great debate.

Ha! That's the nature of cyber space. In addition to the nuggets of wisdom/insanity I have lost to a sneaky back button, or post to nowhere scenario... it is also the only time I just randomly type a word different than the one I intend. It's a phenomenon so strange it rivals the UFO phenomenon at times. Maybe it's just me (who is), high strangeness indeed.

Yeah, I know there is more to me than flesh and blood as well, but what that is, I can never be sure. I suppose when you can be confident that you DO know, you are either likely dead or insane. Sigh...

Regardless, I think if one can think a bit in the abstract, while keeping a sense of logic afoot, there is a lot to gain in exploring these things... even if it is just a better understanding of oneself while not really coming to any concrete conclusions at the same time.

As for coincidence and randomness... I always hear it toted as nonexistent and then the droppings of terms like synchronicity and stuff. Perhaps it's just my programmer side speaking but if all of reality operates on what seems to be key numerical patterns and equations, then of course the patterns may start to become visible to an eye that sees. It kind of gives whole new meaning to the biblical phrase, "He who has eyes, let him see"... if you take it out of context that is.

But I digress...

 

[themacx]

here's a great program about the parallel universe.. or what you call multiverse.


BBC Documentary - Horizon - Parallel Universes - Youku - Truveo Video Search