Although we've constantly been told that WHH, I believe that those very same people saying the universe course corrects are lying (or at least stretching the truth). What do you do in any science experiment when you're trying to measure a change? You control the variables. That is what each of the various factions are doing in LOST--controlling variables so that they can make one or two minor adjustments and change time in their favor.
Specifically, I think Ms. Hawking sent Daniel back in time because she knew it was the sacrifice that was required. BUT she makes the sacrifice over and over again because she knows that it is what she has to do in order to change time and save Daniel from being killed. It's paradoxical, but it seems like that's what the writers are trying to do this season (I think time travel necessarily involves paradoxes. An example is the compass, which Darlton admitted in the podcast is an intentional mobius strip-style paradox.)
Here's how I think this played out: If you knew the future or past and wanted to change it, you couldn't just arbitrarily change one thing. It would have far too many unintended consequences, so you would be powerless to predict the results of your alteration. But what if you're in a time loop and have infinite iterations to reach your goal of changing time? You can keep everything that has happened (or will happen) constant, can tweak one or two things here or there, measure the results, and then the next time around keep tweaking that one variable. If at a certain point you've tweaked the variable all you can and there is no positive change, you move onto a new variable and repeat the process. All the while, though, through each iteration you have to convince the other variables in the equation that they need to remain constant and reenact what they have always done (or will always do) until you're ready to change them.
This may be a little confusing, so let me use Ms. Hawking sending back Daniel as a concrete example. Ms. hawking wants to change the future (or past, depending on what point of the timeline she is in) such that Daniel doesn't die. To do that, she has to convince variables that they are powerless to change the equation. Hence her appearance to Desmond--"the universe course corrects, don't bother with free will, you are destined to do x"--and her strict parenting style of Daniel. These characters have to do what they have always done so that she can tweak a variable of her choosing so that when Daniel goes back and is shot (as he always has been), this time around something different occurs, the future is changed, and Ms. hawking doesn't have to send Daniel back in time. Get it?
This is what all the major players are doing. Widmore employs Abaddon to make sure that everyone is where they need to be so that each variable holds the value for Widmore's preferred outcome. I bet that the island also has a preferred outcome, and Smokey plays a similar role. I'm not sure whatg Hawking's big agenda is, but I think she may only be acting to save her son, the rest of it be damned (maybe that's why Widmore and Ellie have the falling out--there seems to be a lot of tension during the conversation when she slaps him at the hospital). This is probably what the war everyone is talking about is over--it's a battle to change the few key variables (the 815ers? just Desmond? Jacob? I don't think we can know quite yet), because each side has a different desired outcome.
So that's my theory. WHH is true only if you buy into it. It's a way to control the variables so that the grand players can move the pieces around for their own ends.
Specifically, I think Ms. Hawking sent Daniel back in time because she knew it was the sacrifice that was required. BUT she makes the sacrifice over and over again because she knows that it is what she has to do in order to change time and save Daniel from being killed. It's paradoxical, but it seems like that's what the writers are trying to do this season (I think time travel necessarily involves paradoxes. An example is the compass, which Darlton admitted in the podcast is an intentional mobius strip-style paradox.)
Here's how I think this played out: If you knew the future or past and wanted to change it, you couldn't just arbitrarily change one thing. It would have far too many unintended consequences, so you would be powerless to predict the results of your alteration. But what if you're in a time loop and have infinite iterations to reach your goal of changing time? You can keep everything that has happened (or will happen) constant, can tweak one or two things here or there, measure the results, and then the next time around keep tweaking that one variable. If at a certain point you've tweaked the variable all you can and there is no positive change, you move onto a new variable and repeat the process. All the while, though, through each iteration you have to convince the other variables in the equation that they need to remain constant and reenact what they have always done (or will always do) until you're ready to change them.
This may be a little confusing, so let me use Ms. Hawking sending back Daniel as a concrete example. Ms. hawking wants to change the future (or past, depending on what point of the timeline she is in) such that Daniel doesn't die. To do that, she has to convince variables that they are powerless to change the equation. Hence her appearance to Desmond--"the universe course corrects, don't bother with free will, you are destined to do x"--and her strict parenting style of Daniel. These characters have to do what they have always done so that she can tweak a variable of her choosing so that when Daniel goes back and is shot (as he always has been), this time around something different occurs, the future is changed, and Ms. hawking doesn't have to send Daniel back in time. Get it?
This is what all the major players are doing. Widmore employs Abaddon to make sure that everyone is where they need to be so that each variable holds the value for Widmore's preferred outcome. I bet that the island also has a preferred outcome, and Smokey plays a similar role. I'm not sure whatg Hawking's big agenda is, but I think she may only be acting to save her son, the rest of it be damned (maybe that's why Widmore and Ellie have the falling out--there seems to be a lot of tension during the conversation when she slaps him at the hospital). This is probably what the war everyone is talking about is over--it's a battle to change the few key variables (the 815ers? just Desmond? Jacob? I don't think we can know quite yet), because each side has a different desired outcome.
So that's my theory. WHH is true only if you buy into it. It's a way to control the variables so that the grand players can move the pieces around for their own ends.
