Semi-Linear time is a fictional scientific theory for use in explaining away the butterfly effect or any other paradox in a science-fiction story, yet still allowing for time travel and trans-universe travel to be possible. Made defunct due to similar but far simpler models of time (ie, the permeable tense matrix among many others)...
There are several models for the operation of time. The most commonly accepted is linear time. However, there are alternate views of the operation of time which may be explored. This can be done by examining temporal logic. (Since it involves the multiverse, Semi-Linear Time also ties into the study tellurian logic.)
One reason to explore an alternate model of time is to explain away temporal anomilies, such as paradoxes, while still allowing interaction between individuals located in the alternate universes created by their inevitable decisions.
ie.. how a multiverse could account for a universe that exhibits block time and a universe which accounts for linear time. (ie. account for bimodal history)
One such temporal model is:
Semi-Linear Time.
Semi-Linear Time refers to the idea of a
linear projection of time as a
construct of the
mental processes in a
brain (ie,
turing-complete individual), but that this
linear projection in turn affects the "temporal spin" of universes created by spatial or non-spatial events and as such
shapes the
perception of that individual's time-line. This allows for interaction between individuals occuping ever newly-created alternate universes. The universes that do happen to interact with eachother could be thought of as a collection of alternate universes, or a "
collectiverse"
Simply put, that every decision one makes creates a similar, but different by one variable, universe to the one the inhabited previous to making that decision. The individuals affected by this decision do not have to be in the same exact universe, but due to the effect of "temporal closeness" in the spatial time frame, cohabitate both spatially AND temporally.
A multiverse like this would allow for a universe of both constant existential crisis and a universe of solipsism, where one individual truly creates everything. In fact, a representation of these two concepts may be used to plot a projection of the universe's location in what can be described as the multiverse's spatial time frame. It is thought that these projections can be used to predict time cycles, and thus predict future events in the timeline of a universe. If these time cycles could be predicted, it would show evidence of temporal closeness.
Even more simply put - given two events, the more like an event is to another event, the more likely that event is that other event.
The "Spatial Time Frame"
Temporal Spin refers to the affect spatial and non-spatial events have on the timeline perceived by a turing-complete individual. Temporal spin is useful as a tool to in helping to visualize an organization of time in, a semi-linear model of time.
Spatial events refer to actual decisions made by the individual to begin a movement. Spatial decisions are concrete spatial changes made by oneself or an outside force in one's surroundings via movement or locomotion. Some might claim that any spatial decision one might make is due to stimuli presented apon them, and as such, all spatial decisions are in fact made by an outside force. Nevertheless, they alter the surroundings of the individuals they affect, no matter how minutely or grandly. It is also the case that although a long-acting spatial decision, such as movement over a great distance of land, may appear to be made up of many spatial decisions, there is still one starting singularity of movement to it. All spatial decisions taking place during the length of time a previous spatial decision takes to complete (as cataloged by the brain) are known as incidental spatial decisions. Extrapolated into a larger scheme of things, these "syncopathic" decisions have a very small amount of affect on an individual's time line; however, as variables they add up and given enough statistical time, can have an affect. Statistical time refers to the use of quantum pulses as reference points in a spatial time frame. It is generally held that the longer it takes for a spatial decision to be perceived as completed, the more affect it has on future events, due to it's priority in the mind's linear catalog.
The linear catalog refers to not the actual mathmatical projection of the individual's timeline (their Z line), but merely the process of the perception of that timeline.
Any spatial decision's true "length of time" seems to be fairly subjective, as they are governed usually by more then one person's perception of the movement occuring from that decision. When people are paying close enough attention, however, the agreed apon length of time can get very precise.
Alternative universes making up the multiverse co-exist in the same spatial plane, however, the dimension of time also exhibits three spatial dimensions - "spatial time"; through which each individual's "timeline" is constructed via the individual's perception of events. This perception is cataloged into a linear timeframe by the mind. These timeframe's interact through the re-enactment of spatial events. These events are catagorized into two catagories - spatial or non-spatial. Non-spatial decisions affect temporal spin, but do not affect actual spatial change. A true spatial event is caused by a spacial decision - meaning the singularity of movement made by an individual. These spatial decisions, due to the nature of alternate universes in this multiverse, cause temporal spin. Temporal spin is the linear pattern your individual timeline takes in time's spatial plane due to the force of your's and outside force's decisions apon it. Temporal spin causes changes in your spatial time, which intersect at various cycles with other alternate universes. Temporal spin is also caused by larger cycles affecting the direction of smaller cycles.
These cycles are known as "time cycles". Time cycles are observable via a phenomenon known as "temporal closeness". If temporal closeness exists then days in which very many events are similar to eachother, and occur on the "same day" (but in a different "year"), then are actually ocurring very closely to eachother in spatial time, showing evidence of a time cycle. The more spread out the dates used for comparison, the better projection you will get of the time cycle at work.
Therefore, temporal spin affects the temporal closeness of two or more timelines. Through corresponding spatial and non-spatial decisions we interact with other individual's timelines, thus creating a tapestry of interweaving lives. It would seem likely that reoccurring events are directly related to time cycles, which are nothing more then patterns in timeline movement.
To give an idea of how a projection of a time-cycle might be acheived, one can inivision a multiverse in which, due to spatial decisions very quickly after the big bang, some alternate universes may exhibit vastly different physical laws - where 1 "actually" equals infinity. Also, invision a universe's timeline which never gets started, meaning the big bang perpetually keeps not occuring.
This allows for a better visualization of the principle at work. If one takes the universe where it (the universe) never began - the big bang didn't happen at every time a plausable (50/50) oppurtunity for it to do so arised - then you have what can be seen as an X-axis in a "spatial time frame". Then one can invision the universe where only one individual exists and reality is a complete construct of that individual (Solipsism), where one is, literally, everything, thus 1 = infinity. This 1 = inifnity can by seen as Y axis in this spatial time frame. An individual's timeline as it is perceived by the individual in their continued process of constructed linear time is seen as what can be described as Z, the line of depth in the spatial time frame. X, being nothing, Y being everything, and Z being what perception tells us it actually is.
The X can be seen as a constant of nothing, and one can place points along this line showing when a 50 percent probability of the big bang occuring (given of course, that in the z-line we as humans on earth mutually experience, the big bang did occur). This may be done by comparing days showing temporal closeness and projecting a linear pattern from them. The fact that the spatial time frame is merely a construct due to our brain's processing of data, however, doesn't stop one from calculating a kind of "pulse" from the add-up of statistical probablity of the big bang occurring randomly in a number of years and add the number it would take for existence to randomly destroy itself,and using that pulse to organize the timeline of existence by setting it as a reference event, thus making projections of time-cycles possible.
Projection of Time-Cycles:
It is not nessesary for the multiverse to allow alternate laws of physics for alternate universes in order for time cycles occuring in semi-linear time to be projected. How exactly one is to use this pulse as a reference point in the visual projection of time-cycles, however, is anyone's guess. Interestingly, the whole theory fits with the somewhat esoteric conjecture, made by David Deutschand others, that if you make your unconscious mind the object of scientific study (e.g. by conducting experiments) you will find that it behaves with the same complexity as the universe offered by realism. Therefore, the distinction between realism and solipsism collapses - what realism calls "the universe", solipsism calls "your unconscious mind", but these are just different names for the same thing: both are massively complex processes external to your conscious mind (in Semi-Linear time we use the concept of a "turing-complete individual") mind, and the cause of all your experiences.
In Semi-Linear Time we refer to the intersectment of these two alternate universes as "0", the X as "Ø" and the Y as "1". The Z curve retains the letter "Z" to designate it. In semi-linear time one must assume that because the big bang did occur in the universe one currently finds themselves in, that their individual Z line does not equal Ø, allow though due to temporal spin periodic interesection with Ø is possible.
One must assume that the widest timeframe of the universe at the moment of projection occured at the spatial decision of the big bang, thus one can compare the number of years the universe is said to exist with the number of years expected for the 2nd next quantum pulse. Using these two numbers one can plot one "complete time cycle", meaning two intersections at point 0, and be able to place the current universe being projected somewhere along that cycle. When drawn the curve is shown to be a sine wave.
Unfortunatly, this projection is not very interesting. To be able to place, and project, for the universe's position on line Z, one must first find the amount of temporal spin placed on that individual's timeline. As of now all we can do is predict the effects temporal spin might have.
Due to the work of Christine Parent, Stefano Spaccapietra, and Esteban Zimányi on MADS, however, spatio-temporal conceptual models are shown to be possible.
The theory above was an early attempt at an "
infectious theory". These are
thought experiments that are proven merely by the
process of
reading them. I was having trouble figuring out how one would be written, so that's why there's so much
volume to it. Unfortunatly, I think I failed on all accounts except for amount of text, as I found much simpler and concsise theories explaining away problems caused by science fiction (on this site, heh..), and was unable to write an infectious theory.
Due to this I came up with a response to semi-linear time that presents the universe in the same way but takes a lot less time to do so (and I gave up on trying to make it infectious). It is called The Permeable Tense Matrix. I will spare everyone the creation of a new node, so i will just post it below.
The Permeable Tense Matrix
(A response to Semi-Linear Time)
Alternate universes need not be created for time to be bi-modular, and although it would be nice to tie the two ideas together, they aren't nessecarily related. Occam's Razor would suggest that rather then our decisions "making up" our time in an actual linear path in space time, time does not need to be linear at all for us to percieve it as so. Thus when discussing time, alternate universes do not need to come into play.
In fact, our spatial/non-spatial decisions could be seen as random fluxuations in the spatial time frame which we unconsciously string together as being "one after another". When many "turing-complete individuals" string these events together similarly, it creates a "collectiverse" and our decisions naturally become entwined - but this need not be an actual function of the multiverse, and can be thought of as our "collective unconscious."
Therefore, in two quick paragraphs, you can describe how if you found yourself in another time, you couldn't fuck anything up that badly... because everyone else around would just naturally go "nope, that didn't happen", and basically it wouldn't have happened. If you put a book somewhere and then travel into the future, the book will still be there only if some asshole didn't move it. If you travel back in time and your mom accidently falls in love you with you - she's in fawkin' high school! Once you dissapear back into the winds of time she'll realise that she ain't moving out of her podunk town and she'll hook up with your dad (cause she sure as hell isn't marrying the football jerk). If your girlfriend dies and you go back in time to save her life, guess what she'll be in the future? Alive! Because, really, there's only one of you at any one time. People think you'd meet yourself - you just become yourself! We're actually doing it all the time, we just think it's all happening "one after another".
Let this page be a lesson for anyone thinking they need to create new theories for things older, better theories have already covered.