Hurr Durr Derp said:
Cpt_Oblivious said:
That's not a paradox though. A paradox is something impossible which will fuck up the universe. Like if I went back in time to kill Hitler at birth then, in the future I'd have no reason to go back in time, thus royally fucking up the universe and creating a huge plothole that the internet will whine about for years to come.
Maze1125 said:
That's not a time paradox because nothing inconsistent is caused.
A time paradox would be going back in time and killing your grandmother before she gave birth to your mother, because then you'd never be born and couldn't go back in time to kill your grandmother, and so you would be born and would go back in time and kill your grandmother, but then you couldn't be born... etc.
Except it sort of is. Killing your grandmother creates a loop without ending (you kill her -> you're never born -> you can't kill her -> you're born -> you kill her), being your own grandfather creates a loop without beginning, since in order for you to exist you need to have traveled back, but you need to exist in order to have traveled back (you're born -> you travel back -> you become your own grandfather -> you're born). It's possible that your grandmother would've met someone else if you were never born, but then you wouldn't be your own grandfather and their grandchild wouldn't be you.
That doesn't make it a paradox, if anything, it's the exact opposite of a paradox.
A paradox is something that is inconsistent for every possibility.
Becoming your own grandfather is consistent for every possibility.
If you don't become your own grandfather, then you aren't born and you don't become your own grandfather. Which is consistent.
If you become your own grandfather then you
are born and you
can go back in time and become your own grandfather. Which is consistent.
Another example is:
"This statement is false."
and
"This statement is true."
If you take "This statement is false." to be true, then it is false.
If you take "This statement is false." to be false, then it is true.
Both cases are inconsistent and so the claim is a paradox.
However, if you take "This statement is true." to be true, then it is true, if you take it to be false, then it is false. Making it consistent in both cases.
Killing your grandfather is like "This statement is false."
Becoming your own grandfather is like "This statement is true."