Would you exist if time travelers stopped World War I?

[CrazyDaisy]

I wouldn't exist. My german ancestor moved to Ecuador for a temporary job. He ended up staying there permanently because of World War I.

[Dandelion]

WWI did take place in Belgium and devastated our country. My great-great-grandparents might have had children at different moments, changing the entire course of my family line. I only knew my maternal grand-maternal great-grandmother, and nobody of one generation earlier.

Genealogy wasn't that practised by my family. My mother and father probably knew their grandparents, but I just never ask. They were dead before I was born.

You new world people do like genealogy more.

[Peterski]

I think I would exist without WWI.

But I would not exist if they stopped World War II instead.

Or I would still exist, but with different admixtures. Have you thought about it?

Perhaps that would still be you, but just without any German ancestry.

[Dandelion]

I think I would exist without WWI.

But I wouldn't exist if they stopped World War II instead.

Or I would still exist, but with different admixtures. Have you thought about it?

Perhaps without WWI that would still be you, but just without German ancestry.

Well, with different genes it wouldn't be you anymore. Perhaps a Germano-Russo-Polish mixed guy would have been born and joined this forum.

[Pennywise]

Most likely I wouldn't.

[Gangrel]

Probably

[CrazyDaisy]

WWI did take place in Belgium and devastated our country. My great-great-grandparents might have had children at different moments, changing the entire course of my family line. I only knew my maternal grand-maternal great-grandmother, and nobody of one generation earlier.

Genealogy wasn't that practised by my family. My mother and father probably knew their grandparents, but I just never ask. They were dead before I was born.

You new world people do like genealogy more.

My dad is just obsessed with his german side. But maybe I'd still exist if he found some other reason to stay in Ecuador.

[Peterski]

Well, with different genes it wouldn't be you anymore. Perhaps a Germano-Russo-Polish mixed guy would have been born and joined this forum.

Not Germano-Russo but maybe some Jewish, or just different Polish.

My Y-DNA would be the same, but I would be descended from the first wife of my ancestor, not his second wife. His first wife died in WWII in Auschwitz. Maybe she was part Jewish, but I don't know. I would need to test DNA of family members who are descended from her to find out.

Well, with different genes it wouldn't be you anymore.

I'm talking about soul (or consciousness for you, since you are an atheist). Do we get our consciousness from all of our DNA? If just one ancestor is altered, what happens then?

Would it be some totally different soul / consciousness? Or still me?

Maybe that alternative me would be better or worse at some things, like for example controlling emotions online, but I think the underlying soul / consciousness would be the same.

[Dick]

Interesting thread. My maternal grandparents lost a son when he was 2 years old. They tried to have another son but they had my mother instead. Maybe I wouldn't exist if that tragedy didn't happen.

[de Burgh II]

Possibly.