Why Time Travel Fails: Beyond Relativity
Relativity is one of the most powerful ideas in physics. It gives us a precise mathematical map of how spacetime bends and how mass and energy are connected. But here’s the catch: Relativity describes what happens, not why it happens. And when it comes to time travel, that distinction matters. Equations may allow for strange possibilities like closed time-like curves, but math alone doesn’t guarantee physical reality.
This is where the Reactive Substrate Theory (RST) steps in. RST argues that the universe isn’t built on empty spacetime—it’s built on a dynamic field, the Substrate. Time, in this view, is simply the measure of irreversible change in that field. Once something happens, the Substrate shifts, and there’s no way to rewind it.
Why not? Because the processes that shape the universe are non-linear and dissipative. In plain terms: they don’t run backward. Even the tiniest fluctuation or bit of noise gets amplified if you try to reverse the system, making the past state impossible to reconstruct. On top of that, every interaction—like converting energy into mass or making a measurement—irreversibly reconfigures the field. Once that change happens, it can’t be undone.
So while Relativity gives us the math of possibility, RST gives us the physical stop sign. Time travel isn’t blocked by a lack of clever equations—it’s blocked by the irreversible mechanics of reality itself.