this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2025
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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago (3 children)

This is a pretty cool thought experiment. From our perspective, there is nothing about this that wouldn't allow the comic to just keep going. Despite it being a "paradox" from the perspective of the characters, from ours it just is, and doesn't look particularly nonsensical, just quirky. I wonder if that's how an eternal/4th dimension being would see our history

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The first thing I thought was "that's neat," and the second thing that came to mind was "that pizza never existed until it was taken from the future."

I mean, yeah, the comic could continue, and the characters could ignore it, but... does this imply that the characters can will anything into existence so long as it eventually disappears? Could they "borrow" a car from 10 years in the future so long as it's taken by their past selves in 10 years?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Only from the perspective of the characters, though. To us it clearly existed in panels 3 and 4, prime for taking by any higher dimensional beings, that's what I mean. It doesn't mean the characters can will anything into existence, it means that time is just another dimension to travel through, and there are entities (that one slice of pizza for example) that travel backwards and forwards.
Another way of seeing this is that it would look equally alien to our 2 dimensional shadows when we pick something from our pockets, or turn something inside out, but it still makes sense to us 3d beings

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Us: it's a paradox! Time is broken!!!!

Them: that's just bistability, big whoop.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

I wonder if that’s how an eternal/4th dimension being would see our history

Our history on earth: "We're sick of this asshole ruling over the people! Lets start a war to remove/kill him!!!"

war happens

"Ok, glad he's gone. Now introducing the newest asshole to rule over the people!!!"

some time passes

repeat

"Why do these earthlings KEEP DOING THIS SHIT???"