
Uses of a Time Machine
2
“Why did you build this time machine?
“So I can go back in time to prevent myself from building a time machine of course!”
“Er, wouldn’t it have been easier to just not build it then?”
“No, it’s an experiment.”
“Okay…”
“You see if I can go back in time to prevent myself from building a time machine, then I don’t build it, but as I haven’t built a time machine then I don’t go back in time to prevent myself from building it, which means that I do build the time machine. Or so I think.”
“I’m tying to get my head around that. And that’s an experiment?”
“Yes! If I go back in time to stop myself building the time machine, I want to see what happens: Do I build the time machine or do I just carry on without one, making this timeline we’re both in cease to exist?”
“But if you go back in time to prevent yourself from building a time machine, surely you would have already had an encounter with yourself telling you not to build the time machine?”
“No, because it hasn’t happened yet.”
“My head hurts. So there is a chance we won’t ever have this conversation?”
“Maybe. Wanna come with me?”
“Tempting. Are there any dangers with this?”
“Well time might just sort itself out, but there is a strong risk we’ll end up getting stuck in an infinite time-loop of building a time machine then going back in time to stop myself building a time machine, but then building a time-machine and then going back in time to stop myself building a time machine, and so on.”
“That doesn’t sound fun.”
“Don’t worry we probably won’t realise we’re in an infinite time-loop. There’s also a minuscule risk that if I go back in time to meet myself I could cause a rip in the space-time continuum and end the Universe as we know it.”
“Wonderful. Is it really worth that risk?”
“But it’s an experiment! Research is research after all. Admittedly I’ll probably never know the actual result…”
“Can we not do this, please?”
Joanne Fisher
Personally, aside from Doctor Who, I have a real dislike of time travel in stories. Often the paradoxes created can get really convoluted…
I used to have a list of stupid uses for a time machine. I’ve forgotten that list, but this series is about stupid or pointless things you could do if you actually built a time machine. I’ll keep adding to this series as ideas hit me. If anyone else has any ideas feel free to let me know, or write one yourself đ
Also, so far my WordPress editor hasn’t yet morphed into the new block editor (or maybe it has and I haven’t noticed). All is good.
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