Meta-time 3.4

Time travel is only possible if there is a meta-time. Time travel is only possible if our physical time is fake, in a sense that it is not the real causal chain; and the meta-time is real, in a sense that it is the real causal chain.

For example, if our so-called physical world is actually a computer video game simulation, then the “physical” laws and the “physical” time are fake, in a sense that they are illusions simulated by a computer. The world to which that computer belongs is our meta-time. That meta-world is the real physical world. That meta-time is the real causal chain.

— Me@2012-10-01 12:53:48 PM

— Me@2012-10-03 02:21:45 PM

— Me@2012-10-05 11:24:43 AM

2012.10.06 Saturday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Meta-time 3.3

Paradox is due to the mixing of para-level (meta-level) and original level, including the time-travel paradoxes.

The grandpa paradox has the similar structure as

“This sentence is true.”

The ontological paradox has the similar structure as

“This sentence is false.”

— Me@2012-10-06 09:35:11 AM

2012.10.06 Saturday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Meta-time 3.2

Paradox is due to the mixing of para-level (meta-level) and original level. For example, consider this sentence:

“This sentence is false. “

There are two problems for this sentence.

First, is this sentence true or false? 

If it is true, according to itself, it is false.

But if it is false, then the assertion that “this sentence is false” is false, so it is true.

Second, what is the level of this sentence?

We don’t know, because it is referring to nothing, except itself. Let us just assume that it is an order-n sentence.

But since it describes itself, it describes an order-n sentence. So it is an order-(n+1) sentence.

But since it describes itself, it describes an order-(n+1) sentence. So it is an order-(n+2) sentence.

Contradiction!

How can the same sentence have more than one order?

That is exactly the problem of mixing levels. The meaning of the sentence and the meaning of the meta-sentence may contradict.

“This sentence is false.” is with level n, (n+1), (n+2), … at the same time.

But if it is true at level n, it is false at level (n+1), and true at level (n+2), etc.

So it is true and false and true …

Paradox is due to the mixing of para-level (meta-level) and original level. As long as we do not allow mixing levels, there are no paradoxes. Every sentence should only be allowed to describe sentences which have lower levels. For example, a sentence, S, is with level n.

Then S is not allowed to describe any other level n (or higher than level n) sentences.

— Me@2012-10-05 02:00:04 PM

2012.10.05 Friday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Meta-time 3.1

Objects and events are of level zero.

Sentences about objects and events are of level one. They are called order-one sentences, e.g.

“Here is an apple.”

Sentences about sentences are of level two. They are called order-two sentences or meta-sentences, e.g.

“”Here is an apple.” has 4 words.”

Sentences about order-two sentences are of level three. They are called order-three sentences or meta-meta-sentences, e.g.

“”Here is an apple.” has 5 words.” is false.”

…

— Me@2012-10-05 12:00:04 PM

2012.10.05 Friday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Meta-time 2

Paradox is due to the mixing of para-level (meta-level) and original level.

— Me@2012-09-29 02:22:14 PM

… including the time-travel paradoxes.

As long as you put time-travel into a story, you mix the meta-time and the original time within that story. Thus time-travel paradoxes appear.

— Me@2012-10-01 10:33:05 AM

The two typical time-travel paradoxes are the grandfather paradox and the ontological paradox.

The grandfather paradox is that time-travel would create an inconsistent story. For example, if you time-travel back to 10 years ago and kill your younger self, you present-self cannot exist. So you could not have time-travelled back to 10 years ago and kill your younger self, you present-self can exist. But your present-self have time-travelled back to 10 years ago and kill your younger self, then you present-self cannot exist.

The ontological paradox is that information can come from nowhere and events can happen with no cause. For example, your future-self goes back in time to give you the solution of a homework problem. After copying it, you go back in time to give your past-self the solution of that homework problem. The question is, where does that homework solution come from?

The meta-time is the author’s time or the readers’ time, which is the real, in a sense that it is the real causal chain. The original-time is the time within that story, which is fake, in a sense that it is not the real causal chain. As long as we distinguish the meta-time (author’s time) and the original-time (story-time) clearly, the two paradoxes can be transcended.

To avoid the grandfather paradox, only the author should be allowed to go back into an earlier story-time. For example, after finishing the 10 chapters of a story, the author goes back to the first chapter to rewrite and polish it. The characters within that story should not be able to go back into an earlier story-time.

To transcend the ontological paradox, we should realize that the “information from nowhere” is actually from the meta-time; the “event with no cause” is actually caused by the author of that story.

— Me@2012-10-03 02:21:45 PM

2012.10.03 Wednesday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Meta-time

para- (“above, beyond; abnormal”)

— Wiktionary

Paradox is PARAdox.        

Paradox is due to the mixing of para-level (meta-level) and original level.

— Me@2012-09-29 02:22:14 PM

… including the time-travel paradoxes.

As long as you put time-travel into a story, you mix the meta-time and the original time within that story. Thus time-travel paradoxes appear.

— Me@2012-10-01 10:33:05 AM

2012.10.01 Monday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK