The attached image resembles a real book but is described as "NOT REAL BOOK IMAGE" so perhaps in a small way it represents an alternative timeline?
"You might say the course of the world has enormous inertia. The effects of most changes made by time travelers soon damp out. Other things happen that compensate. Negative feedback." The Shield Of Time, p. 261.
I used to read statements like this in the Time Patrol series and not really think about them but they contradict what I would intuitively think about time travel. Why should other things happen to compensate? What does this mean? An example is given:
"'...suppose I went back and prevented Booth from killing Lincoln. Unless I took very elaborate precautions, it would probably happen that someone else did the shooting and Booth got blamed anyway.'" Time Patrol, p. 15.
Is it a historical fact that Booth killed Lincoln or only that it is recorded that Booth killed Lincoln? If it is the latter, then the time traveler who prevents Booth from killing Lincoln has not changed history.
Let me present an example.
Timeline 1
X is not invited to A's party attended by Y.
X is invited to and attends B's party also attended by Y.
X and Y meet at B's party.
X and Y later get married.
A time traveler sets out to prevent X's and Y's marriage.
This is what I would expect to happen:
Timeline 2
X is not invited to A's party attended by Y.
The time traveler intercepts X's invitation to B's party.
X does not meet or marry Y.
However, according to the Time Patrol, something like this would happen:
Timeline 2
X is invited to and attends A's party.
X and Y meet at A's party.
The time traveler intercepts X's invitation to B's party.
X and Y later get married.
Because the time traveler intercepts the invitation to B's party, timeline 2 compensates by including an invitation to A's party? I understand that this is what is being proposed but I need to be persuaded that it is a plausible scenario.
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