Could many worlds be a solution to time travel paradoxes?

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of many worlds and its potential implications for time travel. The speaker suggests that the theory of many worlds may provide a solution to the grandfather paradox, but it is a highly speculative idea and not currently supported by any evidence. The conversation also mentions the need to study quantum field theory for a better understanding of this concept.
  • #1
bland
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TL;DR Summary
Time travel to the past appears impossible due to the inevitable paradoxes. However while contemplating whether many worlds was in fact metaphysics, it may be a solution to the paradoxes.
And also an answer to 'where are the future time travellers?'. Let's say hypothetically that in the future time travel into the past is invented. To me many worlds looks like metaphysics, but it appears to be taken seriously by physicists, therefore, what if after traveling backwards in time as the traveller arrives could we postulate that his arrival creates a many worlds split so that person is now in that timeline so whatever happens does not affect the timeline whence he came?
 
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  • #2
This seems to be a highly speculative solution to a non-problem. It also appears not to be science. How would you test this?
 
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  • #3
Please do not misunderstand. I'm not offering a solution to any problem, I was just looking for some way to make sense of the Many Worlds, conjecture. I mean is that science? I know the math is, but if we are allowed to accept an infinity of infinities of variations of the same universe that somehow exist in a way that we can never come into contact or interact with, then I thought it would be OK to take it seriously and offer it as a speculative solution to backwards time travel that would solve the problem of killing your grandfather.

I mean it seems to be OK to postulate there there is some unknown built in thing that stops these paradoxes, which also is beyond testing.
 
  • #4
bland said:
I was just looking for some way to make sense of the Many Worlds, conjecture.
This will require to study quantum field theory. It is only an interpretation of the results in that field. Up to now there is no evidence at all that any information could pass between the worlds. I suggest to read in our neighbour forum https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/quantum-interpretations-and-foundations.292/.

There is not really a way to answer your question, except: If you cut the causal chain, anything is thinkable. Whether it's possible is another problem.
 

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