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Titor's explanation of time travel is premised on the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics. In this model, as presented by Titor, every situation that can go in more than one direction, goes in every possible direction, and each possibility is the origin point of a new parallel universe or "worldline." In time travel, one does not actually enter one's own past because, at a minimum, one's own presence in the past makes a change and generates a new, ever-expanding set of worldlines. One enters rather the past of a closely-related worldline (whether it is also possible to enter a distantly-related worldline is not addressed). Therefore, the worldline Titor describes as his "past" is very similar, but not identical, to our own present and near future.
For this reason, none of Titor's predictions are inevitable for us by his own account. In some worldlines descended from ours, his predictions are likely to be entirely fulfilled, in others not, and in a third set partially fulfilled. This can be taken as a way to fudge the predictions since it means that Titor's claims are not, strictly speaking, falsifiable. However, it also means that those who take Titor seriously need not treat his predictions as fate. The future Titor paints is quite bleak, and it is much more heartening to take his words as a warning than as something immutable. If his predictions seem to be coming true, he has offered us some good hints as to what might result and what needs to be avoided (though he himself stated that he was not interested in helping us avoid them, as they were the consequences of our own collective decisions). The decisions we make in this worldline still determine the fate of this worldline. According to himself, Titor's own existence in 1975, if only for a short time, can have major effects on the 'worldline', thus making his time and our future possibly very different. Therefore, Titor's words can serve as a warning of the future we are creating if we move in the direction his predictions indicate. In Titor's own words:
As far as I can tell right now, you are headed toward the same events I would call "my history" in 2036. However, the very nature of time travel states that every worldline is unique and you are very much in control of what you do and how you get there.
You are able to change your worldline for better or worse just as I am.
Therefore, any "prediction" I might make has a slight chance of being incorrect anyway and you now have the ability to act on it based on what I've said. Can you stop the war before it gets here? Sure. Will you do it? Probably not.
Yes, it's very possible that what I say would spin your future off into a different direction. |
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发表于 2006-8-3 20:14