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With me this evening is Dr Otto Hasslein.
:31:06
He is a senior scientific advisor
at the White House.
:31:09
He'll give his views on the crucial statement
made at today's session.
:31:12
Dr Hasslein, as l recall, when you
asked the male ape where he was from,
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- the female replied ''From yourfuture.''
- Yes.
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- Do you believe that?
- Absolutely. l think it is the only explanation.
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Maybe the explanation
needs some explaining.
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You've written several learned
dissertations on the nature oftime.
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Could you explain,
in terms we can understand,
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how, for instance, a person, or persons,
could travel from time past to time future,
:31:43
or, indeed, vice versa?
:31:46
Mr Bonds, l think time
can only be fully understood
:31:49
by an observer with a godlike
gift of infinite regression.
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Could you explain
''infinite regression'' for us?
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- Roll the film.
- l came prepared to dojust that.
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Now, here's a painting of a landscape.
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Now, the artist who painted that picture
says ''Something is missing. What is it?''
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''lt is l myselfwho was
part ofthe landscape l painted.''
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So he mentally takes a step backward,
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or regresses, and paints a picture ofthe
artist painting a picture ofthe landscape.
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But still something is missing. That is
still his real self painting the second picture.
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So he regresses further, and paints a third.
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A picture ofthe artist painting a picture of
the artist painting a picture ofthe landscape.
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And because something is still missing,
he paints a fourth and a fifth
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until he paints a picture ofthe artist painting
a picture ofthe artist painting a picture
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of the artist painting a picture
of the artist painting a landscape.
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So infinite regression, then, is...
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The moment when our artist has
regressed to the point of infinity
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and is part ofthe landscape he painted,
and is both the observer and the observed.
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ln that peculiar condition,
what would he be observing