Answer to the problem posed in a previouspost, on August 18th 2014:
This is what happened
in the second scenario:
At 16:01, the original Max traveled to the future in the
second time machine. When he arrived, he found there the second Max waiting for
him with the first time machine. He moved to the other machine and traveled
back to the past, arriving at 15:59. After changing machines again, he traveled
to the future in the original time machine. He never returned.
Only these two scenarios are possible. Any other you
may try to build would be inconsistent (try and you will see).
Consequences:
It is easy to see that the world line for the machine
is the same in both scenarios. What changes is the traveler’s world line.
1.
In scenario
1, the traveler does not change machines either in the present or in the
future.
2.
In scenario
2, the traveler changes machines both in the present and in the future.
Therefore, if time travel to the past were possible,
the traveler would not be free. What he does in the present logically determines
what he must do in the future. If he changes machines now, he must change in
the future. If he doesn’t, he mustn’t.
Conclusion:
Nobody doubts that a human being is free to take an
elementary decision such as changing chairs or not.
Manuel Alfonseca
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