Alternate Time-lines

February 5, 2008 by Nez
Filed under: Philosophy, Smarter View, Theory 

One of the plot devices in fiction that engages me the most has always been the “alternate time-line”.

Cause and Effect

The idea of changing causes and seeing the resulting effects is a staple of science fiction.

Films like Back to the Future, The Terminator, TV shows like Quantum Leap and (certain episodes of) Star Trek all have stories that focus on how key events determine a certain future, and if those key events were altered, the future would be altered as well.

And the idea is not limited to science fiction. You may have seen or read Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, or how about the similarly-inspired holiday “favorite”, It’s a Wonderful Life. In both stories, we get to see alternate time-lines, cleverly suggested as dreams.

There’s a whole list of alternate “history” stories listed in this Wikipedia entry.

What If? is a part of Critical Thinking

These tales all bring to the fore the question of What if? Indeed, the question of “What if?” can be used to generate entire stories. But it is also a way of exercising critical thinking. Only here, it is utilized in fiction, instead of real-life situations.

Baseball

Speaking of real life, the what if? scenario is perfectly illustrated in the American game of baseball. Like setting off a row of dominoes, a key play in baseball can result in a series of events (a player steals a base, causing the pitcher to throw to second, but the shortstop muffs the catch, and the runner from third scores so…) that gets one team closer to victory.

The interesting thing about baseball, unlike other sports, is that there is no time limit. Rather, the game is played until a key event occurs that results in one team having a 1 or more runs scored than the other team after the top of the ninth inning. Otherwise, the game can theoretically play for inning after inning, as long as the game remains tied.

This allows the game to have any number of key events. And in the end, the game announcers usually like to point out the “play of the game”, again, usually one of those key events (a crucial hit or a spectacular defensive play).

(I’m not a true fan of baseball, but I really appreciate that singular aspect of the game — that one play can affect the outcome of the game.)

Real Life Decisions

So because of my understanding, and appreciation of the fact we live in a “linear” existence, I often reflect on decisions that I have just made, or am about to make, and wonder about the resulting time-line that I’m “creating”.

I also like to look back on history, and ponder about key events that set the course of our current time-line.

It really helps to put things in perspective sometimes.

Other posts you may enjoy:

  1. Sheer Force of Will
  2. 5 Things I Learned from Star Trek
  3. The Need to Belong
  4. The Bitter History Teacher
  5. Locke and Demosthenes: A Thought on Political Blogs

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Comments

5 Comments on Alternate Time-lines

  1. Hunter Nuttall on Tue, 5th Feb 2008 8:13 am

    2. There’s a theory that all possible timelines are playing out right now in alternate dimensions. It’s kind of scary to think of things that could have happened, like if Hitler had A-bombs in 1939.

  2. Catherine L on Tue, 5th Feb 2008 10:12 am

    3. Hi Nez – this is an interesting post. The film – the Butterfly Effect was the same. I don’t know if you saw it, but the guy was able to go back into the past and change events so the future was altered.

    But, each time he tried it, someone suffered as a result.

    It is weird isn’t it. No matter how well we try to work out what may happen by doing A or B and make an ethical decision, one small action could still affect a complete stranger. And what’s more, we’d probably never know what happened.

  3. Barbara on Tue, 5th Feb 2008 11:08 am

    4. Nez,

    It’s not too often I think “what if”. based on past decisions, but I do use the theory for decisions I currently make…thinking of how my actions will affect the outcome. It’s a great “tool” to use in business, as well as one’s personal life, since every action has a consequence (good or bad).

    Great post…got me thinking. :)

  4. Nez on Tue, 5th Feb 2008 10:28 pm

    5. @ Hunter: Yes, those kinds of speculation wind up as great fodder for various stories, such as Star Trek.

    @ Catherine: I remember seeing the trailer for that film. The going-back-in-time-to-change-the-present is also the main theme in the last season’s hit TV series Heroes. I guess that’s one reason I liked it — the other being I was a big comic book geek growing up.

    @ Barbara: I agree about the past, but when I do go over the past, it’s to see what lesson I should take away. I, too, focus on the present, and use it often in my own business, too.

    Thanks for the comments, everyone.

  5. 7 Principles I’m Teaching My Kids | NezSez on Fri, 22nd Feb 2008 6:28 pm

    6. [...] Certainly, they may have made mistakes as an adult/young adult that really set them on a wrong path — failure to foresee consequences of an action (see my post on alternate time-lines). [...]

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