The Ethics of Time Travel

[Nancy Allen``]

Does that mean that we shouldn't try and stop such tragedies from taking place? Or would it be immoral to do so?

[Pho3nix]

Why 9/11? I can think of a dozen other worse tragedies.

[Ray Jones]

No it does mean going back and make such things unhappen will not stop such and other things from happening, and is also pointless as it doesn't ensure they won't just happen at another time instead. It treats the symptoms not the illness. More, if we take away past tragic events, we cannot learn from them and try to avoid to let them ever happen again. And there still stands the question how we would want to achieve stopping 9/11 for instance.

 

Also, what if by some planned or not planned action to correct history an event occurs that impedes the invention of the time machine itself 200 years later by say wiping out half of human populace? I'd consider that much more of a tragedy than 9/11 or the dropping of the a-bombs.

[GarfieldJL]

I believe time travel in general is unethical because one change in one place could cause repercussions throughout the timeline leading to different tragedies, or lessons unlearned.

[Rabish Bini]

I reckon it's unethical because somethnig worse will happen unless, like Jae said, you stop Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit destroying sin altogether.

[PoiuyWired]

I reckon it's unethical because somethnig worse will happen unless, like Jae said, you stop Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit destroying sin altogether.

 

If so then the world would be freaking boring.

 

But yes, there are moments that I would like to change, if possable. But no its not something like preventing a great tragedies. Those would take its cause one way or another. As in, if you stop it on that day, there is no telling it would not happen three days later.

 

HOWEVER, there are simple things one can do to make the world a nicer place. Like saving precious artworks and records during a decaster, like prolonging the life or some artist/scientist/etc during the midst of their almost success so that piece of legend can be produced.

 

It may be much less than the "shoot hitler in the head with a plasma cannon" but it would be something interesting.