Time Dilation and Choice

SCIENCE

Written by: m.wilson

DISCUSSING PRO-CHOICE IN RELATION TO TIME DILATION Injecting some basic concepts from physics into the typical pro-choice discourse…





SCI-FI TIME DILATION

Scientists say that time dilation is complicated, and the available research often describes it as counterintuitive. So watching science fiction films makes it fun to see how various concepts get worked out. For example, Skyring was the name of a planet on The 100 television series that had extremely high time dilation. And when a few of the main characters traveled there via a wormhole, they found that seconds on planet Skyring equated to months and that one day could equal a century. It was explained that such a time difference existed because Skyring was farther from a neighboring black hole than the starting planet. This concept agrees with the theory of relativity, which states that time moves slower – the closer – a body is to a black hole because of the intensity of the gravitation field (tying things up). Therefore, humans would age slower the closer they are to a black hole as opposed to humans on a planet farther away from the same hole.

Time Dilation:
“a slowing of time in accordance with the theory of relativity that occurs in a system in motion relative to an outside observer and that becomes apparent especially as the speed of the system approaches that of light. — called also time dilatation.” – Merriam Webster

Dilation:
“To widen or enlarge an opening or hollow structure beyond its usual size, such as the pupil of the eye or a blood vessel.” – Cancer.gov

A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY…”

Are the Star Wars films referring to time dilation in the opening sequence where it’s written that the story occurred “a long time ago?” And could some of the futuro-prehistoric fashion accents be a clue to us non-scientists that the Star Wars galaxy is so far away that it occurred in earth’s prehistoric past? If a character from the Star Wars galaxy were to observe earth, would human beings be cave people or nonexistent? Or does ‘a long time ago’ just mean that the entire epic is a backstory? Screenrant wrote that one of the concepts making Star Wars different from other sci-fi is that most other films in the genre are set in future earth time. Wired published an excerpt from The Physics of Star Wars: The Science Behind a Galaxy Far, Far Away by Patrick Johnson, where he proposes several different theories about the story’s time zone: That if Star Wars exists within earth’s universe, its galaxy may have formed five billion years after the formation of the first galaxy. And that if it is located here, it would need to have existed at least nine billion years after the big bang to account for such complex development. / That the Star Wars galaxy may not be atomic as it is here, and may contain unique elements and entities like Jedi, etc. / That the Star Wars galaxy may dwell within a parallel universe. Those who subscribe to the principles of quantum mechanics often suggest that the Milky Way Galaxy is one of many inside an expanding multiverse, where there may be numerous, perhaps identical universes. 

IS HUMANITY THE SAME AS (SPACE)?

Is it possible that everything we see in our biological world is exactly like what is happening around us in space – as in more gas and energy? Perhaps life and death are interactions similar to those which can be observed during galaxy formation, for example.

Galaxies are born, and they also die, says Space.com. Emergent structures such as earth likely survive because they flow with dark energy and in the same direction as the other planets. Bodies that end up colliding might reform to create something like earth’s moon or be absorbed, though it is currently speculated that dark energy – another basic stuff of space – prevents a hole from over-consuming.

Much of the current research available online shows galaxies formed and sustained by black holes and dark energy. Black holes seem to be the thing that is, not only holding everything together, but making them exist – as they cause various bodies to collide, new products to form, and also pull everything around like the ‘motion of the ocean.’ One galaxy might collide with a second galaxy causing one to consume the other, perhaps in a process comparable to an egg’s absorption of sperm. Existence, and birth, as can be perceived by human beings, may be due in large part to dark energy and black hole gravity. 

WHO ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? AND WHEN?

What if the gas and energy we see in space is the same gas and energy creating life on this planet? What if this is the story – (at least the one we can see). That we are bodies made up of these same materials – and functioning in a similar fashion. That our brains make it possible to interact with like-materials and to perceive our environment in a specific way – and that maybe humans are something like an atom. With that said, in physics, because of dimensionality, for example, it seems that the door remains open to various religious explanations. Jesus and the angels could still come bursting through from the heavenly dimension to save the day and rescue our souls.

Advocates of reproductive freedom may find themselves debating anti-choice activists on deeply philosophical issues having to do with the fundamentals of pregnancy – such as why the event took place, what it means – and for the world / what exactly occurs when a pregnancy is not carried to term / what a fertilized egg would want – what a fertilized egg was meant to be, and so on. And perhaps most of the time, these arguments ultimately refer to religion or to a strong reproductive-identification with “life.” Talking about choice from the perspective of physics could be a slightly different way to go. It’s not exactly like a medical discussion that may leave out concepts concerning pre-viable personalities/ego, souls, “afterlife,” etc.. Instead, we might analyze the four-dimensional galaxy (length/width/height/time) – to enhance our understanding.

GIANT HEADS FROM SPACE

Are human beings giant heads from outer space (or another dimension)? 

 “In the newborn infant the head represents about a quarter of the total length; in the adult it represents about one-seventh.”

Suzana Herculano-Houzel, author/professor of psych and biological sciences, reported that the number of neurons a person has in their brain (not metabolism or body size) determines longevity and the number of years a person will live 75 percent of the time. Comparative Neurology adds to this claim – stating that the number of cortical neurons will determine the rate of maturity as well. 

“Humans take just as long to mature as expected of their number of cortical neurons—and live just as long as expected thereafter.TURN PAGE >>