Elaboration:
Imagine Spacetime as a movie film reel. All of time (past, present, future) exist at the same time just like all the frames of that movie exist on that reel. If you want to time travel you go to the frame location on that reel. That location we call a WHEN but it is also a WHERE on the reel. Also, when physicists state that time and space are interwoven a film reel analogy encapsulates that theory well. So, time travel could be simply going to a specific coordinate in Space.
Theoretical Physicist Sean Caroll uses the film strip analogy in this video:
Sean Carroll Explains Presentism and Eternalism
See also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternalism_(philosophy_of_time)
The illusion of time : past, present and future all exist together
Is Time A Single Block? Eternalism And The Andromeda Paradox
Time: Do the past, present, and future exist all at once? | Big Think
Disclaimer: Obviously, I have been watching too many Youtube videos and none of the concepts are my own. But I did think of the WHERE VS. WHEN regarding time travel analogy as I haven’t seen anyone state it that way yet.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Sean Carroll Explains Presentism and Eternalism
The illusion of time : past, present and future all exist together
Is Time A Single Block? Eternalism And The Andromeda Paradox
Time: Do the past, present, and future exist all at once? | Big Think
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theres a book… i think its called Timescape (1980) that demonstrates this concept.
in the book they send a tachyon stream to the point is space where the earth was in an attempt to let them know of impending doom.
Just read the Wiki on that book…I figured my showerthought would be a parallel thought with others since some of the Youtube videos allude to coordinates in Spacetime but I haven’t heard anyone phrase it exactly that way. Thanks for that link!
Hmmm, wondering if Eternalism is even a necessary component here.
If we take spacetime as a 4 dimensional continuum, then I would just reword this as: “when” is just a specific version of “where” that refers to the time dimension.
There’s a french bande dessinée where time (and space) travel as a concept is explored through the idea of concentric circles and an ouroboros ring as the artifact used. Following one ring clockwise makes you go in the future, counter clockwise in the past, going in a horizontal like moves you through space but at the same time, and the rest you can imagine
It’s from Thorgal 15th issue, by Van Hamme and Rosinski
I distinctively remember it being drawn on the ground but can’t find it in that album, maybe it’s in another, one of the QA cycles, or later I don’t remember
The concepts of when and where are relativistic terms, and I think, trying to split hairs between them is kind of pointless. What’s important is that your interlocutors know what you’re referring to when you’re speaking.