Having considered ethical implications, I’ve decided time travel is ok if you only use it to alter (e.g. repair, or otherwise improve) your own timeline in ways that will have little or no effect on others in your temporal point of origin (the point in time from which you travel back from). Of course, were it possible to do so, the ethical implications of the disclosure of such techniques (or technology) is a completely different question, as it is likely that others would not necessarily limit their usage as noted. Again, were it possible, such limited usage should thus be testable without much risk of detection by others, or causing others to subsequently investigate and rediscover such techniques (or technology). Thus testing is likely possible without incurring the ethical risk of disclosure. Were such a test to succeeed, it would motivate additional tests. And if tests succeeded in repairing or otherwise improving your own timeline, there would be self-interest motivation in additional attempts, each success motivating the next, likely forming a habit. With each attempt, additional care would have to be taken to avoid noticeably compounding the probabilities of affecting others or being detected. The former may be easier to control for up front, the latter by restricting physical alterations in the past to within ambiguities in physical state at the temporal point of origin. My hope is that by first exploring and documenting these ethical considerations, deliberate limitations of use, and necessary precautions, that if such techniques (or technologies) are discovered, there is a better chance they will be used accordingly.

Having considered ethical implications, I’ve decided time travel is ok if you only use it to alter (e.g. repair, or otherwise improve) your own timeline in ways that will have little or no effect on others in your temporal point of origin (the point in time from which you travel back from).

Of course, were it possible to do so, the ethical implications of the disclosure of such techniques (or technology) is a completely different question, as it is likely that others would not necessarily limit their usage as noted.

Again, were it possible, such limited usage should thus be testable without much risk of detection by others, or causing others to subsequently investigate and rediscover such techniques (or technology). Thus testing is likely possible without incurring the ethical risk of disclosure.

Were such a test to succeeed, it would motivate additional tests. And if tests succeeded in repairing or otherwise improving your own timeline, there would be self-interest motivation in additional attempts, each success motivating the next, likely forming a habit.

With each attempt, additional care would have to be taken to avoid noticeably compounding the probabilities of affecting others or being detected. The former may be easier to control for up front, the latter by restricting physical alterations in the past to within ambiguities in physical state at the temporal point of origin.

My hope is that by first exploring and documenting these ethical considerations, deliberate limitations of use, and necessary precautions, that if such techniques (or technologies) are discovered, there is a better chance they will be used accordingly.