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There are so many breadcrumbs in the Lost Cupboard………. Whilst following the ‘tabula rasa’ trail (familiar to most of you), leading to 17th century Philosopher John Locke(1632-1704), leading to the philosophers he influenced, Jean-Jacque Rousseau(1712-1778), David Hume(1711-1776) led me to a man that both Locke and Hume had influenced, Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832).

Jeremy Bentham, obviously loosely connects to ‘the name in the newspaper clipping’. In his lifetime he was a social reformer amongst other pursuit’s. He designed a prison building he called the Panopticon. (Again some of you already know this). Panopticon prisons were circular or octagonal in shape. Cells followed the outer walls allowing the guard to sit in a central tower. The key principal of the Panopticon prison was that prisoners would regulate their own and each others behavior because they did not know when they were being watched. Take a look at the links below for examples of Bentham inspired prisons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_Hoa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millbank_Prison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pelicanbay.JPG

As you can see the octagonal design as well as the ‘constantly being watched’ elements of the prisons, have close links to Lost

Continuing to look at the prison trail I found an extension of the panopticon idea manifested in Mettray Penal Colony (opened 1839) in France. The Mettray Prison Colony was an advancement of the panopticon system, a prison without walls, secretly assessed

“infants and adolescents were normally imprisoned together with adults” “The chiefs and deputies at Mettray were technicians of behavior” “The Colony was deliberately organised to imitate the structure of a family because it was felt that the failure of the boys’ biological families was the reason for them to be sent to Mettray. Besides the pavilions there were flower gardens, accommodation for visitors, stables, a farm with animals and extensive cultivated fields, and a quarry. A replica of a sailing ship, complete with masts and rigging, was set in the square and used for training boys, many of whom would enter the navy on leaving Mettray……… The Colony was largely self-sufficient.” “Demetz (Designer) believed in the healing properties of nature and his motto ……. improve man by his contact with the land and vice versa, under the eye of God. The Colony’s mission was to reform, through manual agricultural work and through prayer.” “The boys had their heads shaved, wore uniforms, and up to the age of 12 spent most of the day studying arithmetic, writing and reading. The older boys had just one hour of classes and the rest of the day was spent working. Some were employed in trades, or in the orchards and vineyards, but the majority performed hard agricultural labour including digging and crushing stones for roads.” I have read but cannot find the quote which talks about some the guards being unknown to the prisoners. “This prison established a system of discipline that divided men into groups that followed five prominent disciplines in life: the family, the army, the workshop, school, and judicial.” “In theory, this internalization would make better men out of the criminals and upon their release they would re-enter society as model citizens”

I think there are some interesting things here, the ship, crushing stones, nature, family environment, military training and judicial (a la Juliet trial), invisible watching ‘technicians’ (It would go some way to explaining the whispers)

I am not suggesting that the losties are ‘in prison’ but that the island has in the past being a place where trials have been performed to asses the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Dharma with it’s octagonal and voyeuristic links they certainly seem to fit the ‘technicians of behavior’. Possibly there is evidence pre Dharma of rehabilitation trials on the island (and possibly future technology e.g smokey, a piece of technology from the future built to asses people, if you go for that ‘island floating in time’ possibility). But in addition the losties certainly fit the bill for a rehab project….Santa Rosa Mental Institution occupants, criminals, abandonment.

Anyway, my old idea that the islands useful non location coupled with it’s apparent supernatural properties, put it in the middle of a possession war. A possession war between two factions.

Could it be possible that rehabilitation is the flip side to Eugenics. “Eugenics is a philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention”

One faction striving for humans with criminal pasts, illness, undesirable traits to be sterilised preventing their ‘bad’ genes from circulating in the gene pool. The other striving for a solution meaning humans can be rehabilitated, cured of illness, preventing their history either mental or medical illness affecting their children. Nurture V’s Nurture Science V’s Science

I thought that ‘rehabilitation’ currently had possession of the island but maybe we have seen the ‘takeover’, the purge, Jack’s satellite call?

As far as eugenics goes Juliet, I think is the main evidence here, she helped Rachel, who was left sterile after cancer get pregnant with drugs stolen from Edmund Burke, was Rachel force sterilised or sterile because of chemotherapy? Either way Juliet and Edmund would be an arch enemy of Eugenics, Edmund is dead and Juliet has vanished off the face of the earth. To hide her and keep her safe, to rid the scientific community of her skill set?

So are the names, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Bentham there to represent thinking based around rehabilitation potential? (Or just they there to throw viewers off scent?)

I think Hanso will come to be the chain striving to keep eugenics/genetic manipulations at bay. Has Hanso been experimenting with rehabilitation, over a long time with a broad range of techniques, from the inspiration of facilities like Mettray to techniques such as brainwashing, seemingly cruel but would conceivably be deemed necessary to try in order to prevent a eugenics movement approval. The dates of Black Rocks fictional disappearance do match for Mettray to be an inspiration. Who then might represent eugenics?

As a minor addition modern eugenics fund the ‘pioneer fund’ which in turn funds twin studies namely ‘Minnesota Twin Family Study’ and the ‘Texas Adoption Project’, there is definitely some relation to lost and twins. I know the writers have claimed the Gary Troup-Bad Twin novel was written without their full co-operation saying “And considering that I have now read Bad Twin, [Laughs] Gary Troup got exactly what he deserved. [Carlton laughs] Next”. I think that is rubbish, like they wouldn’t have read it before it was published. It is almost like they are playing a role in Lost, taking sides.

“Old pirates, yes, they rob I Sold I to the merchant ships……….. Redemption songs”

Key characters

Short Name	Full Name	Episodes	Theories
Juliet	Juliet Burke	3.7, 3.16, 4.6	345

Key episodes

#	Title	Aired	Central character	Theories
3.7	Not In Portland	2-7-2007	Juliet	146
1.3	Tabula Rasa	10-6-2004	Kate	95

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