I am sure that it will not play out completely like this, but I see the connections in this work.
Philosophy: We have three (perhaps more) influential figures from philosophy.
John Locke- a British philosopher, and was a very influential social contract theorist. You will see reflections of Locke in the writings of Jefferson and Madison. The show made a reference to Locke’s theory of a tabula rasa (an episode in lost season 1) or clean slate. Locke thought that we came to knowledge through experience. The show referenced that once the survivors were given a clean slate. I suppose this means that they will have new knowledge and experiences through which they will come to knowledge. However, to be able to completely start their life over they would have to give up all a priori knowledge of their previous life. I sort of see this happening. It is not completely clear if this is a clear and distinct connection to the real Locke. It is creative though. This is the reasoning behind the nature vs. nature philosophy. This idea comes from his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. It is a principal source of empiricism in modern philosophy, a! nd influenced many enlightenment philosophers including David Hume.
Desmond “David Hume”- Scottish philosopher (Desmond is from Scotland, it is an island, and they have monsters in a “Locke”) Ironic. He was an empiricist that was interested in the act of associations. He did not think that causation could be linked to pure regularity. Even if we perceive that one even causes another there are necessary other connections that underpin that conjunction. The self is nothing but a bunch of interconnected perceptions. Is this why Faraday was able to find a constant amongst Desmond’s perceptions and stop the irregularity that was causing the brain aneurism that was about to happen. I am sure that there is more to this that I am not seeing.
Danielle Rousseau- roughly based on French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. One of my favorite philosophers. No offence but I do not see some of his more exciting characteristics/ philosophies highlighted in the series. It is not clear whether this was intentional or not. There is some controversy over Rousseau’s theories of man kind in his state of nature and man’s progression out of the state of nature. One professor in the Harvard Government department argues that Rousseau gives us a utopian account of mans transition from the state of nature to the social contract. He says that man in the state of nature is much like animals. Life is simple, short, and uncomplicated. Technology causes man to form villages and small communities. From the moment that the first man decides that one piece of land is his or her property everything changed. He argues that if we were to take the stick out of the ground and declare that person insane the world would have been diff! erent. (His version was slightly more poetic He did think that there was a time between the modern state and the state of nature that Rousseau called his utopia. Lost is a utopia (Greek term for no place), and it is non-existent to some. I think that the show does a better job of highlighting other aspects of Rousseau’s personal life, and not as much of his philosophy. Perhaps I will be wrong. Hint hint!!!! For example, Rousseau was known for contradicting the norms and customs of society. He continued this practice through out his life. Also, Rousseau had 5 alleged children. He always thought that children should be aloud to be free and natural unlike adults. Each of his children was taken at a young age to what seems like an orphanage. Each time he had an excuse. One would be a platonic excuse. He would argue that the state should raise the children. Another argument would be that children don’t like to spend their time with the old. That is all I have on R! ousseau for now. Theory by WNGYPSY
Philosophy: We have three (perhaps more) influential figures from philosophy.
John Locke- a British philosopher, and was a very influential social contract theorist. You will see reflections of Locke in the writings of Jefferson and Madison. The show made a reference to Locke’s theory of a tabula rasa (an episode in lost season 1) or clean slate. Locke thought that we came to knowledge through experience. The show referenced that once the survivors were given a clean slate. I suppose this means that they will have new knowledge and experiences through which they will come to knowledge. However, to be able to completely start their life over they would have to give up all a priori knowledge of their previous life. I sort of see this happening. It is not completely clear if this is a clear and distinct connection to the real Locke. It is creative though. This is the reasoning behind the nature vs. nature philosophy. This idea comes from his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. It is a principal source of empiricism in modern philosophy, a! nd influenced many enlightenment philosophers including David Hume.
Desmond “David Hume”- Scottish philosopher (Desmond is from Scotland, it is an island, and they have monsters in a “Locke”) Ironic. He was an empiricist that was interested in the act of associations. He did not think that causation could be linked to pure regularity. Even if we perceive that one even causes another there are necessary other connections that underpin that conjunction. The self is nothing but a bunch of interconnected perceptions. Is this why Faraday was able to find a constant amongst Desmond’s perceptions and stop the irregularity that was causing the brain aneurism that was about to happen. I am sure that there is more to this that I am not seeing.
Danielle Rousseau- roughly based on French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. One of my favorite philosophers. No offence but I do not see some of his more exciting characteristics/ philosophies highlighted in the series. It is not clear whether this was intentional or not. There is some controversy over Rousseau’s theories of man kind in his state of nature and man’s progression out of the state of nature. One professor in the Harvard Government department argues that Rousseau gives us a utopian account of mans transition from the state of nature to the social contract. He says that man in the state of nature is much like animals. Life is simple, short, and uncomplicated. Technology causes man to form villages and small communities. From the moment that the first man decides that one piece of land is his or her property everything changed. He argues that if we were to take the stick out of the ground and declare that person insane the world would have been diff! erent. (His version was slightly more poetic He did think that there was a time between the modern state and the state of nature that Rousseau called his utopia. Lost is a utopia (Greek term for no place), and it is non-existent to some. I think that the show does a better job of highlighting other aspects of Rousseau’s personal life, and not as much of his philosophy. Perhaps I will be wrong. Hint hint!!!! For example, Rousseau was known for contradicting the norms and customs of society. He continued this practice through out his life. Also, Rousseau had 5 alleged children. He always thought that children should be aloud to be free and natural unlike adults. Each of his children was taken at a young age to what seems like an orphanage. Each time he had an excuse. One would be a platonic excuse. He would argue that the state should raise the children. Another argument would be that children don’t like to spend their time with the old. That is all I have on R! ousseau for now. Theory by WNGYPSY
