Hypothetical

[goldkin]

Today's question mirrors my thoughts:

Suppose you were presented with convincing evidence that you made a series of bad decisions in the past. These decisions are all rooted at a single point in time. Had more information been available at this time, it would have changed your entire life for the better, achieving a defined set of life goals that you've otherwise failed to attain.

Now suppose you were given the ability to change that decision. The means are irrelevant: this could be anything from borrowing the Epoch to finding a loophole in quantum entanglement. You are able to change this decision with 100% certainty.

But there's a catch. Due to the inconvenience of a single timeline and the grandfather paradox, doing so will end your existence in favor of your beneficiary clone. The exact time it ends is not defined, but if you alter history it is assured. As an indirect result, you cannot return to your original time.

What would you do in this case? Would you take the opportunity to reshape your life, even if it could only be enjoyed it vicariously? Or would you continue to be the person you became despite your definably flawed existence in your own mind?

I'll offer my rationale in the comments, if anyone is curious.

Comments

[goldkin]

I think it'd depend on what happens to consciousness.

In my formulation of the problem, both apply. It would mean the rise of another self, but it wouldn't be you, regardless of whether the two timelines collapse into one person. Does that make sense?


But all of this does remind me of a similar question I've wondered about. Would I change something about my past in a better way - say, leave a hint to myself - if it meant I would instantaneously snap back to that point, forgetting anything from after that point, including all the people I now know? I don't know. The thing to be fixed would have to be pretty serious, yet I can think of a few things that are...

*quicksave* *quickload* *quicksave* *quickload* *quicksave* *quicksave* *quicksave* *quickload*

[davv]

*quicksave* *quickload* *quicksave* *quickload* *quicksave* *quicksave* *quicksave* *quickload*

Good point, but I was thinking longer term. Sometimes you don't see the full effects until later.

I suppose minmaxers could abuse the ability in another way: when close to dying, write a book about significant experiences so far, then transport it back to your earlier self. Live all over again with the additional knowledge, if indirect. Rinse and repeat.

[davv]

To get something closer to my intent, imagine an external party giving you a choice to either give your past self a message (both the message and the past point in time being of your choosing), or not. If you decide not to, nothing happens, but you won't be asked again. If you decide to actually do it, then your past self receives the message and you become your past self.

There's little opportunity to quicksave under such a scheme :) One couldn't deliberately plan a virtual-immortality idea either... though I guess the "cost" could be made less if the message is sufficiently long - just say things like "try to befriend these people, it'll be worth it".