Inception

[Shirosaki]

I saw the film last night and enjoyed it, but I have only one question.

Why does the spinning top never stop spinning in a dream? There's no reason why it would. The fact that its a dream doesn't mean that it wouldn't fall over. If that was the case then there would be lots of other weird occurrences in the dreams.

I like the idea, but I just don't know why it would never stop spinning in a dream.

 

[HobbeBrain]

Because that's crucial to the plot. Maybe because in a dream the physics are different or something?

 

[Shirosaki]

Because that's crucial to the plot. Maybe because in a dream the physics are different or something?

They're supposed to be the same. If the architect changes anything, including the physics, too much, then the projections will notice and try to find the dreamers and make them leave (by killing them).

 

[Firis]

Maybe it has something to do with a lucid dreaming style control, in a dream he can force the top to stay spinning, after all, he is always focused on it when he is spinning it. That could just be his fear of being trapped in a dream makes his focused on it.

 

[Necromancer]

I like the explanation Firis gave, but there's really no evidence to support any kind of reason for the top not falling over in a dream. It's one of the things in Inception that I've just given up on.

 

[TRA Rotid]

I think there's nothing to do with "physics", it's just a way for the totems owner to figure out what's real and not. Or so it seems.

Though I read an interesting theory about it.

Basically what it said is that it doesn't matter whether the totem will spin endlessly or falter; totems are very personal and no one can never know your totem. The fact that DiCaprio uses his wife's totem makes everything in the movie implausible.

Other than that, I don't really know.

 

[Tyloric]

I always assumed it was because that he had conditioned himself so that when he was dreaming the top would always be spinning.

 

[Shirosaki]

The likeliest explanation is Tyloric's.

It doesn't matter that Cobb uses his wife's totem, because he is the only person who knows it's specific properties since his wife has died. However, I don't know what the point in Cobb's totem is because it works visually rather than physically like Ariadne's or Arthur's. I doubt that it is even unique in the sense of being modified, it's probably just a regular spinning-top.

The question is then, why does the spinning-top spin without fail in a dream when every other thing works normally (par the paradox loops and when Ariadne curved the city)? Maybe Cobb "builds" the top to spin without stopping whenever he spins it, and obviously it will fall over regardless in reality - what Tyloric said I think.

Don't get me wrong, I love the concept of the spinning top - it just doesn't make any sense no matter how you look at it.

 

[HobbeBrain]

I like Firis's idea as it links in with mine that because it's actually Moll's totem it spins when he wants it to be a dream and doesn't spin when he wants it to be reality.

 

[TRA Rotid]

I always assumed it was because that he had conditioned himself so that when he was dreaming the top would always be spinning.

Ye that's what I meant just couldn't explain in properly.

 

[Noctus]

Spoilers, dude. Christ.

 

[Tyloric]

Spoilers, dude. Christ.

 

[Shirosaki]

I like Firis's idea as it links in with mine that because it's actually Moll's totem it spins when he wants it to be a dream and doesn't spin when he wants it to be reality.

Wouldn't that defeat the point of a totem in the first place?

Spoilers, dude. Christ.

Why would you click on a thread that is entitled "Inception" and continue reading after "I saw the film last night and enjoyed it, but I have only one question" if you hadn't already seen the film?

 

[Noctus]

I don't have a field of vision that only covers one word at a time. Eyes easily can go wandering and by then it's too late.

 

[Tyloric]

I don't have a field of vision that only covers one word at a time. Eyes easily can go wandering and by then it's too late.

It's still not anyone's fault but yours.

 

[Noctus]

Did I claim it wasn't? It's just courtesy to apply spoiler tags where relevant.

 

[Arseface]

First of all: you cannot apply logic to Inception.

Secondly: Because you can control **** in dreams when you're lucid.

 

[HobbeBrain]

Wouldn't that defeat the point of a totem in the first place?

But Cobb doesn't realise it only spins when he wants it to be a dream. The Totem has to be yours, if it isn't it's useless, he's just too upset about Moll that he doesn't want to lose the last fragment he has left of her, so he uses her Totem.

That's my theory, anyway.

 

[Arseface]

And besides, the totems in general are more to tell if you're in someone elses dream, rather than in any dream. Because only you are allowed to know about your totem, so if someone else made a dream and you didn't have your totem, or it was wrong, then you'd know that some nigga was trying to play you like a fool yo.

 

[Shirosaki]

But Cobb doesn't realise it only spins when he wants it to be a dream. The Totem has to be yours, if it isn't it's useless, he's just too upset about Moll that he doesn't want to lose the last fragment he has left of her, so he uses her Totem.

That's my theory, anyway.

He has nothing to do with it spinning. He spins it in real life and it topples over, he spins it in a dream and it keeps on spinning. I dunno why you think that means he wants it to be a dream.

I agree that he uses her totem as a memento of her, but the totem works. If Cobb used Ariadne's or Arthur's totem they would work.

The point of a totem is that if, for example, Ariadne was the architect, she couldn't recreate Arthur's loaded dice because she's never felt its weight etc. As long as an architect doesn't touch your totem, it will work. The point of not letting anyone touch it is so it wont be touched by any potential architect.

Cobb's spinner will work even though it used to belong to Moll, especially since the only person who had touched it, Moll, is dead.