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If the island of the losties can’t be found, it follows logically that it either does not exist, or has some mechanism for concealing it’s existence. We know that they can communicate with the outside world, but perhaps leaving introduces certain anomolies into the world at large. It seems to me that a lot of the oddities about the island can be attributed to two major factors: improbability and a seperate timeline, but this does not necessarily require any form of time travel, dilation, or otherwise. As to whether or not this is a function of technology, that is outside the scope of this theory.

In the final episode of season 3, we see Jack and Kate having a discussion. Jack clearly remembers being on the island, and Kate obviously does as well. The dead man (Locke or Sawyer, the only people not likely to have anyone come to their funeral, probably Sawyer due to Kate’s involvement) does tell a tale, as does Jack. It seems that reality has been altered at a fundamental level. Kate is no longer on the run from the law, and it seems that Jack’s father is still alive and well. It also seems that Oceanic gave Jack a “golden ticket,” which indicates that he did survive a plane crash and that this was part of the restitution.

This leaves us at a conundrum. Reality has been changed from the timeline of the flashbacks, but time has clearly passed normally in other respects. The losties remember their time on the island, and have been told to keep silent about it, or possibly they are forced into silence. Jack still has his daddy issues and his hero complex, and other than that everything else seems to be more or less the same.

Based on the evidence of the arrival of Locke’s father, I would like to submit to you all that what we have going on is similar to the theory put forth by Steve Wynn, but slightly altered. There is no time travel, but their are alternate timelines. The island, through some function of physics or otherwise, lies at the boundary of two or more parallel universes, inhabiting them simultaneously. Certain events can cause a person to slip out of sync with one or more of those universes, and they are brought to the island. The most common of these slips seems to be death in one timeline caused by the machinations of the island or people upon it. This is supported by when Locke’s father died, and the Oceanic crash was found with no survivors.

A clue towards the thought that death on one timeline where survival occurs in another is also hinted at by Ben in the episode at the Other’s compound. Paraphrasing “my people need to at least believe they can leave this island.” The amazing truth is that they can, but they will find themselves returning to a world subtley, if not very, different from the one that they left. Based on Juliet’s flashback, we see that they fed her a large dose of a “very strong sedative,” and the next thing she knew, she was waking up on the island.

I presuppose that the journey involved what was effectively physician-assisted suicide. If someone or something from the island were to kill someone after leaving it, it would follow that that person would appear on the island, due to the inconsistencies in the timeline.

In affect, what we have is a sort of existential clearing-house. Those on the island heal old and new wounds, it seems like instant death is the only way to actually die on the island, catastrophic injuries do absolutely nothing to most people (except to Ben, which leaves him appropriately confused and terrified, my guess is that he is now dead in however many timelines the island touches, or had a tumor in all of them). The improbable becomes possible, even likely, due to the fact that the island exists at a boundary point for different probable outcomes for the same actions. Schrodinger’s theory of infinite universes comes to mind very strongly.

Where does this theory leave us? It leaves us understanding that those alive on the island are dead in one timeline, but alive in another. The act of leaving the island creates a seperate timeline for those that do, and coming to the island usually involves death in some fashion. This supports the temporary visions of Ben’s mother, Jack’s father, and Jacob himself. Jacob may be a ghost, or he may be an oddity from one too many timelines, possibly one who has affected the ubiquitous time-travel angle. I like the idea that he’s Jack, and it seems to fit well with all theories.

The theory also explains the lack of survivable on-island childbirth given on-island conception. The baby cannot exist in the universe, so thus the universe corrects itself and both child and mother die. The black smoke can be a further extension of the theory, as when someone has perished in all available timelines, they need to be eliminated from the island.

EDIT: Oops, forgot to mention another part of this theory. Jack and each of the losties that were rescued might very well end up inhabiting different parallel universes, timelines, whichever nomenclature you prefer. Perhaps this alternakate has known Jack for quite some time, was on a plane crash with them, and they all survived. This Jack was about to commit suicide, and thus, would be a fitting candidate for replacement with “our” Jack. It’s also very likely that his ranting about the island might have made him seem completely insane to this alternakate, the reason for their strange and tense relationship.

He would also notice that, for some reason, many people he remembers from his timeline are dead or dying, as they either died or were left on the island, giving further credence to what most people around him would assume was merely the ravings of an alcoholic madman.

Key characters

Short Name	Full Name	Episodes	Theories
Ben	Benjamin Linus	3.20, 4.9, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13	1588
Dr. Christian	Dr. Christian Shephard		311
Jack	Jack Shephard	1.1, 1.5, 2.11, 1.11, 1.16, 1.20, 3.9, 3.22, 3.1, 4.10, 4.12, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13	1385
John	John Locke	3.3, 2.17, 1.4, 1.19, 3.13, 3.19, 4.11, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13	1143
Juliet	Juliet Burke	3.7, 3.16, 4.6	320

Key episodes

#	Title	Aired	Central character	Theories
3.22	Through The Looking Glass	5-23-2007	Jack	1241
3.21	Greatest Hits	5-16-2007	Charlie	168
3.20	The Man Behind The Curtain	5-9-2007	Ben	389
3.19	The Brig	5-2-2007	John	128
3.16	One Of Us	4-11-2007	Juliet	78

Key events

Theme	Relevant Episodes	Theories
Oceanic Flight 815 crashes	1.1	547

Key locations

Theme	Relevant Episodes	Theories
The Staff station	2.15, 3.16, 3.18	163

Similar theories

Title	Author	Cmnts	Votes	Rating
The Great Gedanken Experiment, A Tale of Time Travel & Schrodinger’s Cat	wynnter	161	160	+94

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