Ep 230: David Deutsch’s ”The Fabric of Reality” Chapter 12 ”Time Travel” Part 3
Jan 20, 2025
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Dive into the intriguing possibility of time travel, merging concepts from virtual reality, multiverse theories, and physics. Discover how black holes could play a role, based on Einstein's equations. Explore paradoxes that arise when considering interactions with one’s past self and the implications of knowledge in a multiverse. The discussions also touch on the nature of personhood, the unpredictability of knowledge growth, and the creative potential of civilizations as virtual realities. A fascinating journey into the fabric of time!
Time travel merges evolution, epistemology, computation, and physics, highlighting their interconnected roles in understanding reality and temporal implications.
Virtual reality is crucial for exploring time travel, as it raises intriguing questions about identity and self through multiple universes and counterfactual events.
Knowledge paradoxes illustrate the necessity of authentic creation and incremental adaptation, emphasizing the importance of interconnected knowledge across different realities.
Deep dives
Interconnected Strands of Knowledge
Time travel intertwines several domains of thought, primarily evolution, epistemology, computation, and physics. While physics is often seen as the foundation for understanding time travel, the influences of the other strands must also be considered. A physics of biology and computation exists, and an emerging physics of epistemology aims to delineate what it is possible to know. Thus, these domains collectively contribute to a more robust understanding of reality and time travel's implications.
The Role of Virtual Reality in Time Travel
Virtual reality is presented as a pivotal concept in understanding time travel, allowing for the exploration of counterfactual events. David Deutsch posits that arguments from virtual reality clarify the nature of time travel by necessitating the consideration of multiple universes within quantum theory. This viewpoint aligns with the notion that when envisioning time travel, we interact with branches of the multiverse. The physical rendering of events in virtual reality leads to insights about the nature of temporal relationships.
Complexity of Personhood and Time Travel
The chapter delves into the concept of personhood, particularly in the context of time travel and universes intertwining. Each time traveler, especially copies of oneself, raises questions about identity and choice. When a copy of an individual decides to interact with a past universe, it complicates traditional concepts of self, identity, and free will. This exploration encourages nuanced thinking about the implications of multiple selves across divergent timelines.
Knowledge Paradoxes in Time Travel
The discussion also engages with knowledge paradoxes, where complex knowledge appears to emerge without origin. These paradoxes challenge our understanding of knowledge creation and are addressed by emphasizing that knowledge and adaptation arise incrementally through intentional processes. The thought experiments illustrate that without the authentic authorship of work such as Shakespeare's plays, knowledge cannot come into existence. Ultimately, these scenarios highlight the importance of authentic creation and interconnectedness across different realities.
Trade of Knowledge Across the Multiverse
The capacity for time travel is viewed as a significant computational resource that can enhance knowledge exchange across universes. David emphasizes that a time machine could facilitate interactions allowing for the transfer of knowledge among different realities, thereby accelerating advancements in understanding and technology. This idea posits that knowledge should not only be preserved but progressively shared and enhanced across universes. By revealing the broader implications of time travel, the discussion underscores the evolving landscape of knowledge and creativity within the multiverse.
The best part! If you missed the others, don't miss this one. All four strands come together to explain the possibility of time travel and the intrigue that arises when considering travelling to "your" past or future to visit "yourself".
Rough timestamps follow: 00:00 introduction and the significance of virtual reality 04:03 Physically possible renderings and resolving paradoxes 07:30 what does VR time travel tell us about physics? 11:05 Personhood and time travel 13:30 Highly unlikely events, the multiverse and “never”. 15:45 General Relativity and time travel 18:51 David’s 70th birthday online acknowledgement https://dd70th.weebly.com/ 20:14 Past directed time travel: the consensus 25:25 Black holes, wormholes and time travel 34:10 More on paradoxes and quantum gravity 38:00 The unpredictability of the growth of knowledge . 42:05 Visitors from the future 45:50 Time travel, BoI and Fungibility 56:00 Knowledge Paradoxes? 1:00:40 Creation ex nihilo and “recombination”. 1:06:39 Biological and explanatory knowledge 1:11:32 Useless information and the resolution of knowledge “paradoxes” 1:15:23 The knowledge “crystal” - structure across the multiverse. 1:22:18 The entire biosphere as a computation. 1:26:20 Civilisations as virtual reality renderings. 1:30:00 The four main strands and time travel.
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