Let me take you on a hypothetical journey like the one my philosophy professor took us on a while ago:
It's a warm, beautiful day at the resort you came to a few days ago. You act like you’re a normal person, but you aren't. You’re a time traveler who has gone back 100 years to escape the pandemic for a short period of time. You know it's dangerous to travel through time. Anything you do may change the future, so you’re extremely careful not to interact with a lot of people. That's why you decided to take a walk alone near the lake next to the resort to watch the sunset instead of eating with everyone else. But suddenly, you hear someone scream for help. Confused as to whether it's an actual scream for help or just people playing, you search for the place the scream came from. Finally you see a man drowning near a jetty. You know it's forbidden for you as a time traveler to change somebody's fate. You know about the risk. Now decide for yourself: Would you help? Let's say your answer is yes:
You hesitate a few seconds, but after another scream, you start to run. You want to help. You have to help. It's not a long way, but it feels like kilometers until you reach him. Your adrenaline finally kicks in. Luckily you’re a great swimmer because the man wasn't able to stay afloat anymore. So you have to jump into the water yourself and start looking for him. Every second feels like an hour. Where is he? Your heart is beating so fast you don't even notice how cold the water is. The only thing that matters at this moment is saving this man's life. Again and again, you dive down to look for him. And then you feel something. Clothes! You grab them and pull the man up with all your might. He coughs out some water and is breathing, but he's unconscious. What a relief! The weight of your soaked clothes makes it hard to stay afloat, so you tread water really hard until you notice the ladder on the jetty nearby. As soon as you reach it, you're able to take a closer look at the man and the blood freezes in your veins. It's Adolf Hitler.
So what would you do? Keep in mind that your actions will have a butterfly effect. Would you still save him? Maybe he'll change because of you and your act of kindness. Or would you let him drown? It's still 1920, so nobody but you knows that this man is probably the most inhumane person that ever existed and how many evil things he will do, causing uncountable people in the future unbearable and unforgettable pain.
If you feel a bit overwhelmed by the question and the story, be reassured by the fact that we felt the same way. Some students even got angry at the professor. But that was her intention all along. That’s exactly how these thought experiments are meant to feel. They engage us in hypothetical situations and force us to play “what if” and determine whether an action is morally right or wrong acccording to our own moral compass. It tests and challenges our ethical principles to allow us to be prepared when we're faced with a moral dilemma in the real world.
Have you ever thought about the Butterfly Effect regarding your own life decisions?
I'd let him drown :D. But wait... because WW2 happened... does this mean time travelers exist? And who the hell was so stupid to actually decide to save the man? // Ok, now seriously: Nice text that triggers some thoughts. I sometimes wish I'd had lectures like that. It slightly reminds me of the movie (with the same name) with Asthon Kutcher and of the books of Felix Palma at the same time (Die Landkarte der Zeit / The Map of Time).
I’m amazed at your linguistic mastery! You seem to have an intuitive grasp for sentence structures and vocabulary. I noted down a few corrections (mostly just about stray commas). Also, this is an original thought experiment! Are you majoring in philosophy at university?
@Eduard You sure about that? Without WWII the whole world would look different today ;) Oh no… don't ask me! I think you would be a better choice to ask about the possibility of time traveling. Especially since I read your last post I think you are better qualified to talk about this topic :D Yeah, I thought about this movie (and Dr. Strage xD) while writing this text as well. But I haven't heard about the book. Is it worth reading?
This reminds me of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLpUlmiVo2k :D // It's a fine book, although the language takes some time getting used to.
@Abby: Thank you for the nice words, the corrections and the compliment! Actually it's just a part of it. My studies include ethics, psychology and comparative religion. After my graduation I’m going to teach children to think critically about different topics of life using knowledge from all those fields. For example a topic like advertising: How are advertisements created to manipulate us? (psychology) Is it ok to manipulate people? (ethics) In which other fields are possible dangers of manipulation? (religion (religious doctrine)).
@Eduard: Hahaha I loved this show so much! That's a really great scene :D
Hey! This was very well written! I noted some minor edits that would fine-tune your writing, but even as is, your journal entry was quite thought-provoking! It was fun to read! Personally, given that we don't know anything about how the Butterfly Effect might change the future, I think I would save him. From what I know, it seems he had a pretty bad life, so maybe an act of kindness from a friendly stranger would help set him on the right path, and prevent his future evilness? Well, hard to tell, I suppose.
Haha, the time travel rabbit hole question... Good post.
That was so interesting and inspiring! If I knew then what I know now, I would weigh his life against the lives of so many men, women and children and let his ass drown. But that's probably just me 😉
@Salted_Lamp: Thank you! That’s what I was hoping for. I came to a similar conclusion. I wouldn't be able to punish someone for something he hasn't done yet. I would even go a step further and try to change his mindset about the evil perceptions he was so convinced about. Imagine someone with his charisma fighting for something good instead. But I wouldn't hesitate finding another way to get rid of him, as soon as I notice he is going to turn out like the one in our current timeline. The only thing that bugs me is that there is a high possibility of never meeting my most loved people, if I change something in the past. Maybe nobody from us would be even born, if I decide to change the past. It's really a question without a right answer.
@maxmo: Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. :D
@CocoPop: Thank you for the nice words and your corrections! Buuuut think of all the other people who may never be born because of your decision. Everyone you know and love is just a fortunate coincidence ;)
@Lynn, true, but you can't miss what you never knew. If those people were never born and you consequently never met them, you wouldn't miss them.
That's why I find the German birthday song with the "Wie schön, dass du geboren bist. Wir hätten dich sonst sehr vermisst" quite stupid.
@CocoPop: Thank's for checking everything again. That would be true, if you would loose your memorie, but you as the time traveler would still have the memories of the different timeline ;)
@Eduard: Oh no, that's such a nice song. :( I on the other hand really don't like the typical Happy birthday song. It's so depressing!