Push the Rewind Button

[BlackMumba]

One of my courses that I'm taking this semester is two classes in one (Eng, Hist, Hum. you choose which two you want credit for).

Anyway, I am reading a book for this class called Ishmael. Even though I have only read 90 pages of it, I have the confidence to

call it a good book. I recommend that you all read it.


Whilst I was reading the book, a question came to me: If the rewind button was to be pushed and we were to begin at T0 of the

human time line - i.e. when the first human roamed the earth - would we end up where we are today? Would the tyrants like Adolf Hitler

and Robert Mugabe come into existence? How about great minds such as Albert Einstein, Garry Kasparov or Sir Isaac Newton? Would we

have the technology that we have today or more/less advanced? The big one: Would we have damaged the earth as much as it has been

damaged to this day?


Basically, do you believe that history would repeat its self, or would things be different?


P.S. READ ISHMAEL!

You will probably gain some insight which would help you answer my post.

It's a great book which raises ideas which I would bet you have never thought of.

[Psychotik]

I don't like books.

[Kobra]

I don't like books.

[ATP]

You posted that you don't like books? Why? What was the point? Black Mumba wasn't asking that question. If the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it. Sheesh.

What is the book about, btw?

[BlackMumba]

What is the book about, btw?

So far, from what I I have read, it is about a boy who is taught by a gorilla about man and earth.

Basically, it raises some interesting ideas about man and his adverse affects on earth.

Go ahead and read it now. I am sure you'll enjoy it.

[EdTheN00bProgrammer]

Same matter, same inertia, same vector forces, same scalar quanitities, same energy in the same places... everything would be the same. Why would things be diferent?

[Zippy]

Well, assuming that we still have our memories of Earth before the pushing of the button, I'm willing to bet things will turn out much different. Since we would be aware of what will happen in the future, I believe we would take steps to prevent the terrible events (like global warming, WW1 and WW2, The Dark Ages) and assure that the good events occur. Overall, I think we could learn from our past mistakes and build a world better than the one we live in now.

[house4eva]

hhmmm ... well i think... at the end of the day were all humans (at most times being selfish) , and even if we dont have world wars and stuff, were going to have some sort of tragedy ... becasue what is life without it ... (its like 4.30am,so i MIGHT be talking crap)

yes there would be tyrants and the technology bit .. not sure .. because doesnt that link with global warming (an affect of having technolgy)
but i dont think we would have damaged the earth again... humans cant be THAT dumb ...

[The Platypus]

If the humans that live today, you me, and evryone in this forum would be thrown back into year 0 then first of all none of the things that has happened will probably happen.
Since we're not the people who lived at that time, and since we're not them then our kids won't be theyre kids, for example Hitler would never be born, because he has already been born and then there wouldn't be any WW2 since he would have died before the rewinding.
But we would probably still face a new and diffrent WW1 (this would have been the WW3 if we wouldn't have rewinded) and maybe a WW2.
But if it would be the exact same people who lived at that time, then everything would be the same all over again (Think of all the suffering that the world had to live through one more time, without knowing it)

Ouch, lots of text there and some of it probably doesn't make any sense but it's what i think

[Spock]

I've never read the book, but if there is no interferance I think history would go on as it did the first time in our timeline. So, unless whoever went back in time showed the cavemen how to make a bow-and-arrow when they were using primitive spears, I don't see how it would change.