LOST-Theories.com

JJ Abrams, TED talk, The Mystery Box “(my grandfather) HE got me interested in all sorts of different crafts, like printing, the letter press, I’m obsessed with printing, I’m obsessed with printing and book binding”.

To us, black may only represent one in a spectrum of colors, for the Chinese, black forms the basis of visual art. Zeng Laide, philosopher and artist describes the colour black as “being strong and active, a type of amalgamation of all colors. It is the father of ten thousand colors. Correspondingly, white is the mother of ten thousand colors. Black is a masculine color - one that conquers the white surface of the paper and penetrates it. The white paper, inversely, is the feminine element which receives the ink. Black and white, ink and paper are then the factors that, when merged, represent the concepts of yin and yang”

The possible inspiration for the characters names has been discussed many times before, the obvious reason for choosing these names is to give us, the viewer a reference to the motivations of our characters. However at the risk of flogging a dead horse, I’ll go through some again this time considering that the originals have, through social philosophical ideas, influenced the consciousness of future man by committing black to white.

Those on flight 815.

• john locke - john locke - (1632 - 1704), philosopher. “If we survey only the surface of his life, we miss what’s important. Locke was not a politician or soldier. He did not strut at the front of the historical stage. He worked behind the scenes by writing, by giving wise advice, by influencing people’s intellectual and moral attitudes. Modern thinking has developed out of his. ”

Using Locke as an example and without exception, the work of the following is considered trailblazing and arguably to have laid the foundation for modern thinking. I’ll include a few quotes.

• Charlie hieronymus Pace - Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516), painter. http://tinyurl.com/55dwct. Charlie hieronymus Pace - Jordan Scott Pace (1744 - 1824), philosopher.

• Kate Austen - Katherine Austen (1629-ca.1683), diarist and poet. After early the death of her first love, Thomas Austen, she penned “Book M” which includes material on her lawsuit, interpretations of dreams (her own and others) and historical commentary.

• Shannon Rutherford - Samuel Rutherford (1600 - 1661), Scottish Presbyterian theologian and author.

• Boone Carlyle - Thomas Carlyle (December 4, 1795 - February 5, 1881) a Scottish essayist, satirist, and historian. “(He)anticipated many major philosophical and cultural developments, from Existentialism to Postmodernism”.

• Seth Norris (pilot) - John Norris (1657 - 1711), philosopher and poet. Wrote 23 works. Was an early opponent of Locke.

Wrote 23 works. Was an early opponent of Locke.

• James “Sawyer” Ford - Henry Ford - (1863 – 1947), American founder of the Ford Motor Company. James “Sawyer” Ford - Robert James Sawyer is a Canadian (1960 - )Canadian science fiction writer.

• Hugo Reyes - Hugo Gernsback (1884 – 1967), was a Luxembourg American inventor and Science Fiction writer.

• Sun-Hwa Kwon (née Paik) - Nam June Paik (1932 - 2006) South Korean-born video artist. Paik’s work focused on television, magnetics and advancing technology http://tinyurl.com/5eqwwj

Non 815.

• Desmond David Hume - David Hume (1711 - 1776), Scottish philosopher. “laid the foundations for nearly all subsequent secular thinking about the history of religion.”

• Rousseau - Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778), French philosopher. “political philosophy influenced the French Revolution, the development of both liberal and socialist theory, and the growth of nationalism”

• Henry Gale - Henry Gordon Gale (1874 - 1942), American astrophysicist and author.

• Juliette/Edmund Burke - Edmund Burke (1730 - 1797), Irish political writer. “in opposition to the pro-French-Revolution. Burke is often regarded by conservatives as the Father of Anglo-American conservatism.”

“in opposition to the pro-French-Revolution. Burke is often regarded by conservatives as the Father of Anglo-American conservatism.”

• Charlotte Staples Lewis - Clive Staples “Jack” Lewis (1898 – 1963), Irish writer and scholar.

• Daniel Faraday - Michael Faraday, (1791 – 1867) , English chemist and physicist. “he was one of the most influential scientists in history”

• Radzinsky - Edvard Radzinsky (1936 -), Russian writer.

• Kevin Inman - Arthur Crew Inman (ca. 1895 - ca. 1963) was a reclusive American poet. “Inman’s diary is not only considered unique by some but has been called ‘the most remarkable diary ever published by an American’.

• George Minkowski - Hermann Minkowski (1864 – 1909), German mathematician.

• Mrs. Hawking - Stephen Hawking (1942-), English theoretical physicist.

• Anthony Cooper - Anthony Cooper (1671 - 1713), English philosopher

• Mikhail Bakunin - Mikhail Bakunin (1814 - 1876), Russian philosopher and anarchist. “whose political philosophy was the revolutionary doctrine known as collectivist anarchism.”

I have not included everyone here but you get the idea. Also I have omitted names which reflect characters in literature, Benjamin (Bible), Sawyer(Mark Twain), Jacob (Bible), though they are obviously equally important.

The work of the above shows a mixture of concepts, ideologies and philosophies, some conflicting.

To the very scrappy theory. Could the black and white battle be a battle of ink and paper, the oldest ‘game’ in the world, from ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ to ‘A Brief History of Time’ people fought for control over the Zeitgeist (spirit of the times) of the world. Control the future through the words of the past.

The writing of words and the ongoing influence is obviously a natural organic process, but when we add the crazy all time seeing island to the mix, could the islands technology or the island itself offer some people a window to the future. We know, as Daniel told Desmond, you cannot change the future for your own purposes, but maybe it was discovered that through literature or art you can side step the universal rules by slowly seeping ideas into the consciousness of humanity. We have seen that Desmond influenced Daniel to put pen to paper as seen in ‘the Constant’.

As an example. Richard Alpert, employee of X, the ageless traveller has for thousands of years influenced the mindset of the world, lets say he once influenced the ideas of a man named Jesus, leading to the eventual writing of the Bible and the ensuing domination of religion in the western world . Then, ‘Bob Hanso’, employee of Y is drafted in to nurture and influence a man called Charles Darwin, leading to the dawn of the domination of science. A long game of black and white, played out from the future.

We have evidence of the Lost corporations belief in the power of ink and paper when Hanso “bought up all available copies” of Gary Troup’s, The Valenzetti Equation.

boxmaker posted a great idea which ties nicely into this and it may be something the Lost writers have considered. Boxmaker points out a concept by Stephen King. King believed telepathy exists through writing, i.e he visualises a scene or an idea, he writes down this idea, we read his words and we visualise that scene or idea. So without direct contact or verbal communication an idea can cross from person to person, over any time.

Taking away the time travel aspect, a simpler theory could be that Widmore/Hanso (a body of people) knows exactly where the mystery island is. Widmore keeps successfully putting people there! Gale, Hume, Lewis, Faraday, possibly flight 815. Do they choose these people because of their names. Why? Are citizens of Lost world intrigued by the disappearance of so many literary namesakes, do they research and read their work (like we do I might add!). Is their intention to subtly influence the populations philosophy and ideology with ‘tactical telepathy’ for political gain or, are they trying to alert the world to the existence and the sinister purpose of the island. Like the Bermuda Triangle on heat, a conspiracy theory worth investigating. A conspiracy edge in the Lost world has been now introduced to us through Lapidus.

I really like the idea that the Lost writers might suggest that the many books featured on Lost island are ‘time travelling’ texts, soldiers in the black and white war. Or maybe it will pass that Lost itself is a influenced piece of ‘time travelled’ text and we are the pawns. So if in the distant future a man called Benjamin Linus runs for Prime Minister, he might not get many votes.

Thanks ; )

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