Dueling Utopias by Not Stalin

Here I intend to elaborate a larger overview of the philosophical-political-religious concerns of the show: We seem to have come down to the clash between Team Jacob and Team Smocke. Jacob appears to us thus far as a man who believes in Progress and an Ending, as a man who weaves tapestries (or stories, if you will), and as man who pushes people toward their destinies, and also as a man who has a thing for numbers. Smocke appears as the man who is trapped and wishes to destroy Jacob, with full intention of leaving the island. While many might claim that there is a struggle between faith and science on the show, we might go further and say that there is a more fundamental clash between perpetuation of systems and the the destruction of systems.

Jacob believes in progress and a definite 'ending', or what some call teleological thinking. He believes that the island must be protected and that someone must replace him in his role as protector, therefore he believes in perpetutating a particular system, or the island. Systems might refer to particular belief systems (religions) or political systems/isms or even scientific rationality/technocracy (think Jacob's love of numbers). It appears that most of the people on the island have been serving Jacob unquestioningly for many years, simply taking on faith the perpetuation of this particular way of life. They serve the island, even going so far as to exterminate an entire group of people in that service.

Smocke claims that this protection is unnecessary and wants nothing to do with it: he's sick of Jacob's company. Apparently he doesn't believe in Jacob's "progress" and wishes to free himself. Smocke also claims to have once been human, which leads us to believe that something along the way caused him to be dehumanized. He is said to be evil incarnate, and that he wishes to destroy all life on the island. He is recruiting Losties for his cause and promising them fullfilment of desire if they will help him get off the island.

I think that both represent a particular utopic urge: one believes in an all-encompassing system in which the Losties must act (they have a choice as long as they choose what they are supposed to choose), while the other believes that destroying the architect and abandoning the island is the key.

Daniel claims that the Losties are the variables, that they do have the ability to alter what happens, although Desmond may still be a Constant (Love). What we may see is the foiling of both Jacob and Smocke's plans, subverting both of their particular goals. What would that look like?