Is time travel ethical?

[Aristotle]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

 

[uscitizen]

I just want to go forward a day or two get the winning lotto numbers and come back.

 

[Pogo]

I would have to say, on the surface, no it's not ethical.

I get your motivation and it's noble... I'd be strongly tempted to go back a few years and do the same with my Mom, or at least be able to share some thoughts we missed. But at the risk of sounding like Richard Mourdock, I think the downs in life are as much a lesson as the ups, and we don't or shouldn't get to choose to sidestep them.

Without the downs we wouldn't have the ups. If we were able to manipulate our pasts and futures, it would be a redefinition of everything we know about existence. That might be OK but it would be a hell of a change.

I'm sorry about your Mom. I understand completely.

 

[Dajjal]

I just want to go forward a day or two get the winning lotto numbers and come back.

It is possible to use telepathy to get in touch with a discarnate spirit who can see into the future. Then they could give you the lottery numbers. But they probably won't because it is bad karma. I bet you don't believe me, but its true.

 

[Pogo]

I just want to go forward a day or two get the winning lotto numbers and come back.

It is possible to use telepathy to get in touch with a discarnate spirit who can see into the future. Then they could give you the lottery numbers. But they probably won't because it is bad karma. I bet you don't believe me, but its true.

I don't think discarnate spirits would have the slightest knowledge or care of lottery numbers, or anything else material. Just sayin'.

 

[Avatar4321]

why is pain bad? isn't pain how we learn and grow?

 

[Cammmpbell]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

What difference would it make? I visited my 100 year old mother yesterday and she doesn't know Wednesday from Sunday. Dying is something we all have to do....and unlike others I believe dead is dead. I'd rather be run over by a Mack truck than lay around incapacitated for years dependent upon others.

 

[Pogo]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

What difference would it make? I visited my 100 year old mother yesterday and she doesn't know Wednesday from Sunday. Dying is something we all have to do....and unlike others I believe dead is dead. I'd rather be run over by a Mack truck than lay around incapacitated for years dependent upon others.

That's true, but it's also insensitive. If you'd had the experience of having to say goodbye to your mother while she was still sentient I don't think you could post something that cold.
I would have to say the OP and I are both the richer for that experience, however painful it was.

 

[Mr. H.]

Time travel comes in handy sometimes...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyaAEPggums]Steak 'n Shake- Time Machine- Half Price Happy Hour[/ame]

 

[Politico]

In a heartbeat.

 

[Cammmpbell]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

What difference would it make? I visited my 100 year old mother yesterday and she doesn't know Wednesday from Sunday. Dying is something we all have to do....and unlike others I believe dead is dead. I'd rather be run over by a Mack truck than lay around incapacitated for years dependent upon others.

That's true, but it's also insensitive. If you'd had the experience of having to say goodbye to your mother while she was still sentient I don't think you could post something that cold.
I would have to say the OP and I are both the richer for that experience, however painful it was.

I'm 78 years old. My mom and I had wonderful years together. She knows exactly how I feel about life and she knows that I helped her as much as anyone else in the world during the last thirty years of her life....at least up to now. She knows that saying goodbye while she was still sharp is something I would never do.

Two years ago she knew everyone's birthday including her great grandchildren, she remember phone numbers, which cousin was married and which one was divorced. She was sharp as a tack. It all started about a year and a half ago.

 

[Pogo]

What difference would it make? I visited my 100 year old mother yesterday and she doesn't know Wednesday from Sunday. Dying is something we all have to do....and unlike others I believe dead is dead. I'd rather be run over by a Mack truck than lay around incapacitated for years dependent upon others.

That's true, but it's also insensitive. If you'd had the experience of having to say goodbye to your mother while she was still sentient I don't think you could post something that cold.
I would have to say the OP and I are both the richer for that experience, however painful it was.

I'm 78 years old. My mom and I had wonderful years together. She knows exactly how I feel about life and she knows that I helped her as much as anyone else in the world during the last thirty years of her life....at least up to now. She knows that saying goodbye while she was still sharp is something I would never do.

Two years ago she knew everyone's birthday including her great grandchildren, she remember phone numbers, which cousin was married and which one was divorced. She was sharp as a tack. It all started about a year and a half ago.

My heart goes out for what you're going through. And I apologize if I misinterpreted your previous post as callous but that's what it looked like.

 

[Dreamy]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

Great premise and question. I believe in God so I suppose if I could time travel that doing anything good can't be bad. Right?

 

[Glensather]

Time Travel being ethical is like anything else: It's all dependent on the people using it.

Take myself for example. Perhaps I would find a way to stop 9/11. Perhaps I'd go so far back as to kill Hitler (Time Travel Exemption notwithstanding, hopefully)...

... or perhaps not. I'd go to 1st Century Rome and talk to Jesus. I'd go back to 65,000,000 BC and observe the end of the dinosaurs. I'd go to 3000AD and see how far humanity has gone... or how far it's receded.

I'd gather information, probably.

 

[skye]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

In my opinion, if we were able to time travel ..(I would love to go back to the 1920s....also to the Roman Empire.... etc..) we would only be observers, just observers and we would not be able to change anything in the future.

And that is more than plenty to me! A Time Travel Machine! WOW!

 

[Connery]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

Things happen in one's life for a reason. I would not want to change anything in my past. My poor decisions have made me wiser, facing adversity through conclusion to triumph has made me stronger; experiencing joy and loss has made me grateful for what I have today and cherish it.

Most importantly, I pass these life lessons to my son and hopefully he will learn from my experiences. While life does not comes with a physical instruction book, a parent in many cases is the only version life's instruction book a child may ever read.

Of course it is not ethical, there would be an unfair advantage

 

[Pogo]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

Things happen in one's life for a reason. I would not want to change anything in my past. My poor decisions have made me wiser, facing adversity through conclusion to triumph has made me stronger; experiencing joy and loss has made me grateful for what I have today and cherish it.

Most importantly, I pass these life lessons to my son and hopefully he will learn from my experiences. While life does not comes with a physical instruction book, a parent in many cases is the only version life's instruction book a child may ever read.

Of course it is not ethical, there would be an unfair advantage

Let's move this post to the dictionary under the word "Wisdom".

Beautifully said.

 

[skye]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

Things happen in one's life for a reason. I would not want to change anything in my past. My poor decisions have made me wiser, facing adversity through conclusion to triumph has made me stronger; experiencing joy and loss has made me grateful for what I have today and cherish it.

Most importantly, I pass these life lessons to my son and hopefully he will learn from my experiences. While life does not comes with a physical instruction book, a parent in many cases is the only version life's instruction book a child may ever read.

Of course it is not ethical, there would be an unfair advantage

Let's move this post to the dictionary under the word "Wisdom".

Beautifully said.

Beautifully said yes.


But wisdom has nothing to do with time travel. What the heck!

 

[Connery]

Things happen in one's life for a reason. I would not want to change anything in my past. My poor decisions have made me wiser, facing adversity through conclusion to triumph has made me stronger; experiencing joy and loss has made me grateful for what I have today and cherish it.

Most importantly, I pass these life lessons to my son and hopefully he will learn from my experiences. While life does not comes with a physical instruction book, a parent in many cases is the only version life's instruction book a child may ever read.

Of course it is not ethical, there would be an unfair advantage

Let's move this post to the dictionary under the word "Wisdom".

Beautifully said.

Beautifully said yes.


But wisdom has nothing to do with time travel. What the heck!

In the context provided by the OP is certainly does.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I was thinking whether if one could travel back in time and change certain instances in their life which caused them future distress would that be ethical? I say this because I wonder whether prevention of the inevitable (whether its a direct or indirect cause of misfortune) would be ethical in the sense that we are trying to prevent future pain.

For example, I was thinking if I could go back in time and warn my mother to get an early breast examination, and she did and caught breast cancer early would she be alive today, and if so, would he death somehow come in another form? What do you guys think about time travel and ethics?

Do you want to talk about ethics or paradoxes? Do you know the difference?