What about you... by Pete

This specific theory, or more a set of observations, really center only on free will vs. determinism struggle. We have seen it so many times, I will not even bother anyone with lists (I mean, who am I - Jacob?).

The struggle has a lot of sense and I believe it is one source of infatuation with the show. These themes are very well presented, and we can see almost every character struggling with it. However, there are dark clouds on the horizon, and it comes down to the game. If Jacob, or MIB, or both really do put pieces together fighting over the island, or for it, as has been suggested in a lot of theories, the free will flies straight through the window. Some of you aptly mentioned that Jacob (supposedly free will side) literally makes Sayid come. Jack says that Jacob was watching them their entire lives, and one of the more plausible scenarios - ALT is losties sans Jacob, suggests that he even had active influence (maybe even more than what we saw in Incident).
What I want to say, share with you and ask for your opinion concerns the following. I think that if it turns out that all this was a big game between the two supernatural entities, with our show heroes the pieces, that the free will vs. determinism would be rendered moot, a false choice and consequently a waste of our invested empathy towards such struggles in each of them. I would personally find such a resolution, where it turns out that they were all determined all along quite unsatisfactory. Moreover, it would run contrary to what we heard in The Variable.