Current Events > When people talk about travelling to the past....

(+) Yeah! (+)

They worry about radically changing the present by doing something small,

But barely anyone in the present really thinks that they can radically change something in the future by doing something small in the present
---

i've seen this before.

its true

O.O
---

Hairy-man posted...

But barely anyone in the present really thinks that they can radically change something in the future by doing something small in the present

...

this is deep stuff
---

Be careful what you do today.

That ant youre thinking about squishing? Dont do it.

Or do it. Whatever
---

Hairy-man posted...

They worry about radically changing the present by doing something small,

But barely anyone in the present really thinks that they can radically change something in the future by doing something small in the present

It because we KNOW the things that would heavily change the future if done in the past.

Extreme example: Hitler is killed in WW1 by a stray bullet. History changes.

The bullet that hits Reagan kills him.

Someone convinces JFK to not ride in that open limo.

The winning lottery number from 1980 and the wisdom to invest in Microsoft early.

That kind of shit.

Because we have the hindsight of history, a person going back can change the future if human history with one act.
---

Thanks for that nugget of wisdom, Jaden Smith.
---

People have normalized the chaos.

Hairy-man posted...

They worry about radically changing the present by doing something small,

But barely anyone in the present really thinks that they can radically change something in the future by doing something small in the present

.....woah
---

Should I post itt? What if I was supposed to, but I didn't? But I'm posting now...what if I wasn't supposed to??

Ahhhhhhh!
---

You guys have hopefully just changed my day for the better
---

Technically, by even making this topic, you've changed everyone's future who has read or posted here.
---

by posting this message i have just now put into action a set of events which will probably be insignificant
---

He's gonna take you back to the past

To play the shitty games that suck ass
---

FaultyGourry posted...

Thanks for that nugget of wisdom, Jaden Smith.

---

This is crazy. Things are changing every single moment
---

except in reality nothing is changing and all of our actions in this topic could have been predicted

there is no free will
---

How can we see if our eyes aren't real?
---

Turtlebread posted...

except in reality nothing is changing and all of our actions in this topic could have been predicted

there is no free will

yeah but you don't act that belief out

maybe it's because it's....the present?
---

Romes187 posted...

Turtlebread posted...

except in reality nothing is changing and all of our actions in this topic could have been predicted

there is no free will

yeah but you don't act that belief out

I know, it's pointless anyway
---

Turtlebread posted...

Romes187 posted...

Turtlebread posted...

except in reality nothing is changing and all of our actions in this topic could have been predicted

there is no free will

yeah but you don't act that belief out

I know, it's pointless anyway

Shoot...have a kid. See how much meaning comes into your life :) I say this as a new dad who once had nihilistic tendencies hah

Might be pointless at a cosmic level, but at a local level its anything but

I mean it's pointless to live your life succumbing to the fact that you have no free will

I'd never get anything done if I did that
---

Turtlebread posted...

I mean it's pointless to live your life succumbing to the fact that you have no free will

I'd never get anything done if I did that

Oh gotcha

Well I guess the question is: what does it mean to believe (or what is closer to your actual 'belief')? To say you have a stance, or to act out a stance?

I don't always have to act on my beliefs, especially when the illusion of free-will has worked fine my whole life

Actually I'm not even sure what acting on this belief would even be. Sitting down and doing nothing as some sort of rebellion? Nothing changes, you still don't have free will. Might as well not even think about it.
---

This is some smoking weed level deep thinking.
---

Turtlebread posted...

I don't always have to act on my beliefs, especially when the illusion of free-will has worked fine my whole life

Actually I'm not even sure what acting on this belief would even be. Sitting down and doing nothing as some sort of rebellion? Nothing changes, you still don't have free will. Might as well not even think about it.

Well I would assume if you were a hard determinist you wouldn't feel mad at someone if they, say murdered your spouse or parents or something because hey...thats what was always going to happen. No one is culpable for their actions

Don't get me wrong...I've heard the arguments for determinism and tend to side in that direction at least logically...but my own actions betray that belief as well.

What I don't care for are the compatibilist arguments like what Dan Dennett makes.

How do you know you have changed anything?

Romes187 posted...

Well I would assume if you were a hard determinist you wouldn't feel mad at someone if they, say murdered your spouse or parents or something because hey...thats what was always going to happen. No one is culpable for their actions

Don't get me wrong...I've heard the arguments for determinism and tend to side in that direction at least logically...but my own actions betray that belief as well.

What I don't care for are the compatibilist arguments like what Dan Dennett makes.

I think that's probably for the best anyway
hard determinism is bad for your health
---

If you killed me today, the overall impact on society would be minimal. Essentially, a hospital would be less efficient for a while. Big whoop.

However, if someone from a thousand years in the future went back ten or so years ago and killed me, that'd mean that my four kids would've never been born, any potential kids they'd have would never be born, and so on, and so on, and so on for dozens of generations, not to mention any of the changes that they would've had on other people.

So, it's pretty easy to see the dramatic impact that killing a single seemingly non-notable person could have on the course of history, especially when you're dealing with many, many, many generations between the past event and the future changed.
---

makes u think
---

youre right

i never think that ... things i do make stuff happen.

mind.
blown.
---