Dreaming of Time Travel Essay

The reading â€Å"Dreaming of Time Travel† discusses applications of time machine, whether time travel is possible and how time travel can be explained in terms of physics and quantum mechanics. The author highlights such issues as meeting yourself in the past, time as fourth dimension, many-world theory, self-consistency, concepts of wormhole and star trek. It is a matter of fact that human imagination has been always captured by opportunities of time travel as it would give an excellent opportunity to see own past and perspectives for future. Science is interested in time travels the most as it would help to solve historical and scientific conflicts and controversial points. Of course, if people had time machine, they would definitely visit twenty-third century to look for technological advances and to find effective ways of cancer treatment. Nevertheless, time travels may change the past and, consequently, future would be changed as well. You may seven slip out of existence as a result of change. It would be possible to kill Hitler preventing, in such a way, World War II and save millions of innocent deaths. People would be able to participate in historical events shaping them. Moreover, it would be possible to meet historical figures as, for example, Buddha, Moses, Cleopatra or Shakespeare. Actually, there is no limitation of possibilities. Time travel makes people feel free to move around the world, but they may be helpless as they are not acquainted with cosmic order. Nowadays the issue of time travel has become a matter of interest for physicists, not only for fiction writers. For example, when Wells wrote his famous â€Å"The time Machine† many believed that it was impossible to travel through time and space. It is Einstein’s Universe that makes time travel possible and understandable. Therefore, many physicists are actively investigation time travel to the past. In his ideas Einstein uses the concept of time as fourth dimension. This idea is used to show that time can be measured by moving and stationary observers. Therefore, Einstein argues that our universe is four-dimensional. The idea of many-world theory is also very interesting as it offers radical alternative of viewing our world. Many-world theory is based primarily on quantum mechanics developed in the beginning of the 20th century. Quantum mechanics was used to explain the behavior of molecules, atoms and other micro-particles. Quantum mechanics proved that particles had wave nature. It is assumed that people won’t change the pass if they travel because they are a part of it. However, Einstein viewed it as paradox. Therefore, the concept of self-consistency was introduced to explain the possibility of historical changes. It seems that self-consistency is rather controversial to the common sense of free choice and free will. Therefore, time travelers are likely to be constrained being deprived of essential human ability. For example, David Lewis argues that free will never allows people to do logically impossible things. Four-dimensional world doesn’t change as it is viewed as fixed sculpture. Time-travel stories are also based on self-consistency system. In time travel the particles have world line meaning that there is a circle with no ends. Such particles are called jinn. They are claimed to arrive by wizardry as in Aladdin’s story. Often fiction literature involves scientific investigation of time travel. For example, â€Å"Star Trek† fiction encourages further time-travel investigation from scientific perspective. It stresses that it is possible to use warp-drive to ravel in past. Fiction often stimulates scientific thinking. Physicists are the most interested in time travel as they want to test the boundaries and opportunities of physical laws, as well as to patent a time machine. The author concludes that time travel seems so strange for people simple because they aren’t accustomed to meet time travelers in our everyday life. If people meet them everyday, they won’t be surprised. If time travel can occur in principle, scientists will receive new insights about the universal order. Works Cited Gott, J. Richard. Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe: The Physical Possibilities of Travel Through Time. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 3-32.