Problem with time travel in PoA

[Stevis]

No: HPFGUIDX 31386

> 
> Message: 1
>    Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001 13:00:27 -0000
>    From: "slurm3001" <r.jeganathan at gmx.net>
> Subject: Problem with time travel in PoA
> 
> Hi, I've just read all the messages concerning the time travel in 
> PoA, but I still can't find a logical explanation for the rescue from 
> the dementors. 
> After all, Harry1 could only have been saved by (time-travelling) 
> Harry2's Patronus if Harry1 had survived the dementors in a different 
> way in order to travel back in time and become Harry2. But in the 
> book it is completely illogical:

> Harry1 survives because of Harry2 AND Harry2 only exists because 
> Harry1 survived
> In other words: Harry is only able to travel back in time because he 
> survived the dementors in the first place (otherwise he would be 
> dead). Yet the given reason for his survival is the rescue by his 
> future self. That's a total contradiction.
> 
> The problem could have been evaded by Harry managing to do the 
> Patronus the first time, thereby securing his survival to travel back 
> in time and rescue Buckbeak.
> 
> What's your opinion?
> 
Allow me to propose a couple of solutions.

1) The Babylon-5 "War Without End" Solution:  it happened that way because
it's always happened that way.  It's like a closed loop: Harry was always
there to save himself because he always went back to save himself.

This, in my opinion, has disturbing consequences with regards to fate and
free will, but that's for another day.

2) The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Solution: Repeat to yourself, it's
just a book, I should really just relax.  As a physicist (in training), I
can swear to you that causailty doesn't get violated and time-travel as
sci-fi & fantasy imagine it can't happen.  

This is why I feel that time-travel is usually the sign of lazy writing,
why 'Enterprise' really cheeses me off, and in fact the only time-travel
arcs I can put up with are the B5 and POA ones, because at least they are
self-consistent by interpretation 1.

Stevis
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Stevis, Wizard of the Hat   O-
s-sundbeck at uchicago.edu
 
"Want a plane that loops-the-loop. 
 Me, I want a hula hoop..." 
 
		--The Chipmunk song 
 
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