The Paradoxes And Effects Of Time Travel 6

Chapter 17

Welcome back to The Paradoxes and Effects of Time Travel, everybody! This month we’ll be looking at the Observer Effect, a fascinating concept often discussed in both science and philosophy.

—✧—

Introduction to the Observer Effect:
The Observer Effect refers to the idea that the act of observing or measuring is something that can affect the behaviour or outcome of that same thing. In time travel, the Observer Effect refers to the idea that simply being present or interacting with an event in the past has the ability to change the course of history, even if the time traveller doesn’t intentionally alter anything.

This effect can be applied to many other things such as physics, which we will discuss later. Another notable one is human behaviour. Humans will almost always change the way they act when they know someone is observing them, and this is described as the Hawthorne effect in psychology. Being observed without intervention has been proven to increase performance quality in work and other areas, which is quite interesting!

—✧—

Theoretical Perspective:
Let’s consider a time traveller going back to the 1970s to witness something such as a famous speech. They may simply be standing in the background, and thinking that it won’t change anything. However, there could be unforeseen consequences. By just being there, the time traveller might attract the attention of someone in the past, even if they don’t directly interact. This attention could lead to dozens of different courses of events. The time traveller might also unknowingly affect the state of the environment, like bumping into something or causing a distraction that shifts the course of conversations.

The Observer Effect plays a key role in the change of time travel—where seemingly insignificant actions lead to large consequences. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is! In cases such as these, being an observer is enough to bring on a mass chain of unforeseen events, which we know as the Butterfly Effect. One small action changes the course of another, then another, and so on.

—✧—

Scientific Basis:
This concept is most associated with quantum mechanics, where it is theorised that the act of observing a particle can change its behaviour or state. We can usually discuss this in the context of the double-slit experiment, where particles like electrons or protons behave differently depending on whether or not they are being observed. When no one is watching, these particles can exist in multiple states at once (which is a phenomenon called superposition). But, when observed, they “collapse” into a single state.

The connection of time travel comes from the notion that if time travel were possible, then the presence of the time traveler in the past could change the present day in ways that weren’t intended. Just like how the behaviour of a particle changes while observed, the timeline may not be as stable as it seems.

—✧—

Philosophical Implications:
When we think about it on a deeper level, the Observer Effect brings up many philosophical questions about the nature of reality and whether we are truly capable of “staying out of history.” Does the act of witnessing something automatically make us a part of it? If so, does time itself function as something that adapts to our presence, as if the timeline “knows” when it’s being watched or interfered with? This effect suggests that instead of a linear system, time is more flexible, and constantly in flux based on who’s watching it.

Overall, the Observer Effect is a complicated thing. It shows us that by having no intention to make change, change is sometimes bound to occur anyway.

—✧—

After six editions of this chapter, The Paradoxes And Effects Of Time Travel will be coming to an end in April! For the finale next month, we will be doing an in-depth study on the effects of Temporal Collapse, also known as the end of time. Thank you for reading, and read on for more. Bye!

Written by Daphne Clarke.
Edited by Hazel Antler.
Proofread by Daphne Clarke.