Time Travel and Theories of Causation in Indian Schools of Thought

In Philosophy, Theories of Causation deal with the relation between cause and effect. In Fiction, time travel deals with the relation between cause and effect that gives different results, which unfolds the story. Both deal with the philosophical idea of what it is, what it can be, and how it will be. This blog attempts to blend the two ideas as it is in my Alternate History novel, Expedition to an AlternateSwarajya, where the subcontinent remained uncolonized.

The effect is dependent on its cause, or is it not? That is the question Dr Deepika Rao asks herself when she learns about Dr Eric Noble’s operations with time travel. Is it a Fixed Timeline, where you cannot change the past since the present is inevitable? Is it a Dynamic Timeline, where changing the past would modify the present? Or is it a Multiverse Timeline, where this change can happen with an alternate past which would branch out an alternate reality at present, keeping the original timeline intact?

Dr Deepika Rao discusses with her allies on the possibilities of outcomes

When Deepika and her team from Prism Science travel to that world, they realise it's an alternate reality. But are Dr Noble’s Castle Corp operatives planning to do here? To understand how cause affects effect, she and her allies think harder. That is when different Indian schools of thought help them with possible answers.

The classic Nyaya doctrine, Asatkaryavada, where some events are inevitable because the change in cause does not change the effect.

The Samkhya doctrine, Satkaryavada, where change in cause leads to change in effect, but with modifications, since there are multiple causes at play.

But their interpretation of Aarambhavada helps them understand what Dr Noble plans to do. A completely new cause introduced in the ecosystem can lead to the beginning of a new effect, which would lead to his desired objective.

But as the story progresses, they will know if it was a Vivartanavada, where the effect change was a temporary illusion – classic Advaita principle. Or will their interdependency give a new effect – Pratityasamutpada of Buddhist thought.

Expedition to an Alternate Swarajya is available on various platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Notion Press, Google Books and others, as Paperback and also as Ebook.

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