The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Serie: The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 551

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Health Economics and Financing What are the metaphysics of time travel? How can Hurley exist in two places at the same time? What does it mean for something to be possibly true in the flash-sideways universe? Does Jack have a moral obligation to his father? What is the Tao of John Locke? Dude. So there's, like, this island? And a bunch of us were on Oceanic flight 815 and we crashed on it. I kinda thought it was my fault, because of those numbers. I thought they were bad luck. We've seen the craziest things here, like a polar bear and a Smoke Monster, and we traveled through time back to the 1970s. And we met the Dharma dudes. Arzt even blew himself up. For a long time, I thought I was crazy. But now, I think it might have been destiny. The island's made me question a lot of things. Like, why is it that Locke and Desmond have the same names as real philosophers? Why do so many of us have trouble with our dads? Did Jack have a choice in becoming our leader? And what's up with Vincent? I mean, he's gotta be more than just a dog, right? I dunno. We've all felt pretty lost. I just hope we can trust Jacob, otherwise ... whoa. With its sixth-season series finale, Lost did more than end its run as one of the most talked-about TV programs of all time; it left in its wake a complex labyrinth of philosophical questions and issues to be explored. Revenge, redemption, love, loss, identity, morality--all of Lost's key themes are examined in this fully updated guide, which reveals the deeper meaning behind every twist and turn in this historic, one-of-a-kind show.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Title Page

Copyright Page

Introduction

Part One: F Is for Fortune

Part Two: O Is for Origin

Part Three: U Is for Unity

Part Four: N Is for Necessity

Part Five: D Is for Destiny

PART ONE - F IS FOR FORTUNE

Chapter 1 - LOST IN LOST’S TIMES

Losing the Plot

Constants and Variables

We’re All in This Together

“We Have to Go Back”

The Course of the Future

The Shape of Things to Come

Whatever Happened, Happened

The Total Experience

NOTES

Chapter 2 - IMAGINARY PEANUT BUTTER

Building the Orchid Station: Basic Concepts of Time Travel

Whatever Happened, Happened

We’re the Variables

Loop, Dude

One Miles? Two Miles? How Many Versions of Miles Can There Be?

There’s No Place Like Home

Well, What Goes Around, Comes Around

None of It Matters Anyway, Then, Does It?

Chapter 3 - IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT WE DO

The Metaphysics of Time Travel

Shooting Benjamin Linus

The Man in Black: Manipulating Time Travel

The Incident

The Rules Don’t Apply to You

Time Travel Ethics in Lost

NOTES

Chapter 4 - IF SAWYER WEREN’T A CON MAN, THEN HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A COP

Counterfactual Reasoning

Counterfactuals Count

Closeness among Possible Worlds, or Why It Just Seems Wrong That Jack Fathered ...

NOTES

PART TWO - O IS FOR ORIGIN

Chapter 5 - LOST IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES

Just Testing

What a Bunch of Characters!

The Ball’s in Your Court!

Life Goes On

NOTES

Chapter 6 - “DON’T MISTAKE COINCIDENCE FOR FATE”

Take Your Chances

Take Your Pick

Jung and Locke

The Birthday Paradox

It’s a Small World, After All

Coincidence vs. Conspiracy

Jacob Have I Loved

It’s Hurley

NOTES

Chapter 7 - LOST AND THE QUESTION OF LIFE AFTER BIRTH

Why Are We Here?

How Does It All Make Sense?

Is This Life the Whole of What There Is?

Art and Entertainment

NOTES

Chapter 8 - SEE YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE, BROTHER

The Man of Science

The Man of Faith

The Failsafe

It Worked

PART THREE - U IS FOR UNITY

Chapter 9 - LOST’S STATE OF NATURE

Lining Up for Peace

Human Nature and Natural Man

Amid the Wreckage

The Longer Haul

Over or Under the Language Barrier

Confidence and the Con Men

Roles and Rules

Tit for Tat

Gaining Trust from the Past

NOTES

Chapter 10 - FRIENDS AND ENEMIES IN THE STATE OF NATURE

Locke: Reason, Rights, and Torture

Rousseau and Hume: Friendship and Feeling

Who Needs Hobbes?

About Schmitt

The Final Solution

NOTES

Chapter 11 - IDEOLOGY AND OTHERNESS IN LOST

Ideology: Drinking the Kool-Aid

Ideology and the Dharma Initiative: A Snow Globe

The Others

Fearing the Others: “Run, Hide, or Die”

Recognizing the Others: “There’s a Line”

Becoming the Others: “The Good Guys”

“Lost”

PART FOUR - N IS FOR NECESSITY

Chapter 12 - ESCAPING THE ISLAND OF ETHICAL SUBJECTIVISM

How Important Are Jack’s or the Man in Black’s Approval or Disapproval?

Tolerance and the Importance of Disagreement

Why neither Hurley nor the Dharma Initiative Can Make It So

If Not on the Island of Ethical Subjectivism, Then Where?

Chapter 13 - LOST TOGETHER

“You Don’t Have What It Takes”

“You’re Not Wanted”

What Do Jack, Locke, and the Rest of Us Owe Our Parents?

“Hey, Freckles”

“I’m Not One of His Friends”

The Source?

“I’ve Done Everything You Wanted Me to Do!”

“Dead Is Dead” (or Is It?)

NOTES

Chapter 14 - SHOULD WE CONDEMN MICHAEL?

The Character

The Theory

The Button: How Prima Facie Duties Work

Saving Walt: Prima Facie Duties, Actual Duty, and Equilibrium

Meet Kevin Johnson

“Hey, Hurley ... If You See Libby Again ... Tell Her I’m Very Sorry”

We Never Really Go It Alone

NOTES

Chapter 15 - THE ETHICS OF OBJECTIFICATION AND THE SEARCH FOR REDEMPTION IN LOST

You Kant Take It with You

Milling Around

The Virtue of Virtue

Redemption Redeemed

Real World Island

PART FIVE - D IS FOR DESTINY

Chapter 16 - THE NEW NARNIA

Myth, Not Allegory

Into the Mythic World

Tested by Crisis

“It Has Never Been Easy”: The Struggle for Faith and the Quest for Redemption

The White Witch vs. Asian and the Man in Black vs. Jacob

“Live Together, Die Alone”: Redemption and New Community

NOTES

Chapter 17 - I ONCE WAS LOST

“I Know There’s Someone There”

“Welcome to the Wonderful World of Not Knowing the Hell What’s Going On”

“We’re Going to Have a Rational Conversation Regarding Our Next Move”

“I’m a Coward”

“So Much for Fate”

“You’re More Lost Than You Ever Were”

“I Believe in What I Can See”

“I Have Made My Peace”

“The Universe Has a Way of Cross-Connecting”

“Free Will Is All We Really Got, Right?”

NOTES

Chapter 18 - THE TAO OF JOHN LOCKE

“I’m Good at Putting Bits and Pieces Together”

“This Is Destiny. This Is My Destiny.”

Man of Science, Man of Faith

“I Was Looking for Something ... It Found Me”

NOTE

NINETEEN - LOST METAPHYSICS

Lost’s Narrative Structure

Lost Metaphysics

Annihilation of Oppositions

Keep the Needle on the Record

APPENDIX - Who are Locke, Hume, and Rousseau? The Losties’ Guide to Philosophers

CONTRIBUTORS

INDEX

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Series Editor: William Irwin

South Park and PhilosophyEdited by Robert Arp

Metallica and PhilosophyEdited by William Irwin

Family Guy and PhilosophyEdited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

The Daily Show and PhilosophyEdited by Jason Holt

Lost and PhilosophyEdited by Sharon Kaye

24 and PhilosophyEdited by Jennifer Hart Weed, Richard Davis, and Ronald Weed

Battlestar Galactica and PhilosophyEdited by Jason T. Eberl

The Office and PhilosophyEdited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Batman and PhilosophyEdited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp

House and PhilosophyEdited by Henry Jacoby

Watchmen and PhilosophyEdited by Mark D. White

X-Men and PhilosophyEdited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Terminator and PhilosophyEdited by Richard Brown and Kevin Decker

Heroes and PhilosophyEdited by David Kyle Johnson

Twilight and PhilosophyEdited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Final Fantasy and PhilosophyEdited by Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu

Alice in Wonderland and PhilosophyEdited by Richard Brian Davis

Iron Man and PhilosophyEdited by Mark D. White

True Blood and PhilosophyEdited by George Dunn and Rebecca Housel

Mad Men and PhilosophyEdited by James South and Rod Carveth

30 Rock and PhilosophyEdited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

The Ultimate Harry Potter and PhilosophyEdited by Gregory Bassham

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

The ultimate Lost and philosophy : think together, die alone / edited by Sharon Kaye.

p. cm.—(The Blackwell philosophy and pop culture series ; 35)

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-470-63229-1 (paper : alk. paper);ISBN 978-0-470-93073-1 (ebk);ISBN 978-0-470-93075-5 (ebk);ISBN 978-0-470-93078-6 (ebk)

1. Lost (Television program) I. Kaye, Sharon M.

PN1992.77.L67U48 2010

791.45’72—dc22

2010028339

INTRODUCTION

Lostand F.O.U.N.D.

As an avid fan of Lost, I’ve been trying to figure out what it is about this show that has such a hold on me. Other fans I’ve talked to feel the same way. It sinks its teeth into you and won’t let go. After wondering about it for some time now, I think I finally figured out what it is. And so I have a question for you.

Have you ever been lost? Or rather, how did you feel when you were lost? Because you have been. We all have. Few of us have been stranded on a tropical island, but we have all had those moments when, far from home, we are suddenly struck by the horror that we will never find our way back.

[Fade to flashback.]

It’s a meltingly hot, sunny day, June 1974, and we’re at the annual summer carnival. The carnival comes to Madison, Wisconsin, for ten days every summer. It is the highlight of the year. Kids spend long, grueling hours babysitting, mowing lawns, and begging their parents for cash to buy the longest possible strip of tickets. One ticket will only get you on a baby ride; the best rides—the ones that gave you bat belly and bring you closest to mystical transcendence—cost four.

[Carnival music. Chillingly alluring. Then children’s voices.]

“Are you going on the Zipper this year?”

“No way!”

“Wus!”

“Well, not if they have that same guy strapping people in.”

“It’s never the same guys.”

“That’s true. Okay, I get the outside seat ...”

At the carnival there are dangers of every kind, and each child is called on to perform at least one truly outstanding feat of bravery. I didn’t know any of this, though. I was only three years old, tagging along with the big kids for the first time.

True, I spent most of my time with my parents, observing my sisters and their friends, sampling the cuisine, and taking in the occasional baby ride. But my special challenge came at the end of the day.

There were seven of us, all sweaty and a bit dazed but still chattering away, as we trooped through the converted farmer’s field back to our car. It was a 1967 Volvo. A midnight-blue two-door with a brick-red vinyl interior and no seatbelts. This was the age of innocence, when you packed as many people into cars as you could fit, the littlest ones perching on the biggest ones’ laps.

Getting everyone in was a bit of a trick that day, with all of our carnival paraphernalia and the seats being hot enough to burn striped patterns on your butt right through your terry-cloth short shorts. Everyone vied for the best positions, and there was some bickering. Yet soon enough the little Volvo was on its way. Windows were cranked all the way down, and a windy discussion of the plan for the rest of the evening commenced.

Then, halfway home, Marcy, our neighbor, suddenly said, “Where’s Sherri?”

“She’s in the front.”

“No, she isn’t. She’s in the back.”

“Come on, quit kidding around.”

“We’re not kidding. She isn’t here.

“Oh, my gosh! We left her.”

It never occurred to anyone, not even to my parents, that I may have been snatched up by a pervert. (Such was the age of innocence.) Their only theory was that I must have somehow been hit by a car. As they sped back to the fairgrounds, my mother scanned for emergency vehicles. Everyone was asking the same question: Why didn’t she get in the car?

Why, indeed. It remains a mystery.

There were no emergency vehicles in the parking lot, and I was nowhere to be seen amid the cars. On reentering the carnival gates, however, my dad soon spotted me. I was sitting serenely on a bench between two old ladies. They had apparently found me wandering and bought me a soda. Although I was not crying, my face was red and streaked.

When I heard my name and caught sight of my family, a crushing wave of mixed emotions passed across my face. I welcomed their enthusiastic hugs and kisses, but I didn’t answer anyone’s questions, and I was quiet for the rest of the night. Once you have been lost, you are never quite the same.

The ABC hit drama Lost speaks to our deepest fear: the fear of being cut off from everything we know and love, left to fend for ourselves in a strange land. This fear is a philosophical fear, because it speaks to the human condition. It forces us to confront profound questions about ourselves and the world.

Why am I here? Does my life matter? Do I have a special purpose? Can I make a difference?

[Fade to flash-sideways. More carnival music.]

How can it already be time to go home?

I am watching my feet as I shuffle along the fairgrounds. Bits of hay and interesting pieces of garbage are scattered about everywhere.

I stop to examine a paper boat containing a half-eaten hot dog. Though it looks just like many hot dogs I have eaten before, I strongly suspect I will not be allowed to taste it. I glance up to see if anyone is watching.

“Sherri, come on!” my sister shouts.

She does not see me pick up the hot dog. I grip it tighter and hurry along. I will bide my time and find the right moment for at least a taste.

My cheeks feel hot from a long afternoon in the sun, and the cotton candy sugar high that had me singing “Baa Baa, Black Sheep” at the top of my lungs not long ago has crashed hard, leaving me lethargic and irritable.

We reach the front gate of the carnival. My parents turn to see that everyone is in tow. My sister stops to take my hand. I shake her off, whining, “No!”

“Well, come on, then.”

Everyone is heading for the Volvo. I know that once we reach it, my salty, greasy treat will be discovered. I look around desperately for cover.

A white van is parked not far ahead. The side door slides open. Just inside sits the clown who made me a kitty cat out of a long skinny pink balloon earlier today. He is eating a hot dog and looking right at me.

I slow to a stop, staring. He beckons me to come to him.

I cast a glance at my family, already loading the detritus of our day into the trunk, and begin to angle toward the van.

As I think about how tragic that day at the carnival might have turned out, I begin to wonder more about the two old ladies who saved me. Who were they? Was one of them me—time traveling from the future? What if they were two different future flash-sideways versions of me teaming up to make sure that I didn’t come to an untimely end?

As I ask myself these questions, I begin to feel that my life may be important in ways I have not yet realized. Once you have been found, you are never quite the same.

The nineteen essays contained in this volume search for answers through the deepest philosophical labyrinth ever portrayed on television. We published the first version of this volume, Lost and Philosophy, in 2008, after the show’s third season. The ultimate guide you now hold in your hand updates its best chapters in light of the second half of the series and adds six new chapters. I have organized them loosely into five main groups.

Part One: F Is for Fortune

The first set of essays probes the issue of time travel and alternate time lines, which became such an integral component of the show. Great thinkers throughout history have suggested that time travel is possible. What about the resulting metaphysical paradoxes, though? Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that concerns phenomena that lie beyond the explanation of science—but not beyond our philosophers.

Part Two: O Is for Origin

The second set of essays explores crucial epistemological issues raised by the show. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that concerns the nature and extent of human knowledge. What have our survivors learned about the capacities and limits of the human mind?

Part Three: U Is for Unity

The third set of essays looks at the most pressing social and political issues raised by the show. Social and political philosophy concerns all of the difficulties that arise when humans try to live together and form a unit larger than the individual. The island is a microcosm of the power dynamics we observe in our own communities.

Part Four: N Is for Necessity

The fourth set of essays examines the most heart-wrenching ethical issues raised by the show. Ethics is the branch of philosophy that concerns values, along with the nature of right and wrong. Being in such extreme circumstances, the characters on Lost face difficult decisions that reveal insights for the rest of us to consider in our own moral lives.

Part Five: D Is for Destiny

The fifth set of essays investigates the most intriguing religious issues raised by the show. Philosophy and religion are historically two sides of the same coin. By applying a rational analysis to some of the mystical moments portrayed on Lost, we can more fully appreciate their significance.

As a bonus, a handy appendix that gives you the lowdown on the philosophers’ names that crop up on the show is included at the end of this volume. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. On behalf of the authors, let me wish you the best of luck in your search for answers.

PART ONE

F IS FOR FORTUNE

1

LOST INLOST’S TIMES

Richard Davies

Lost and Losties have a pretty bad reputation: they seem to get too much fun out of telling and talking about stories that everyone else finds just irritating. Even the Onion treats us like a bunch of fanatics. Is this fair? I want to argue that it isn’t. Even if there are serious problems with some of the plot devices that Lost makes use of, these needn’t spoil the enjoyment of anyone who finds the series fascinating.

Losing the Plot

After airing only a few episodes of the third season of Lost in late 2007, the Italian TV channel Rai Due canceled the show. Apparently, ratings were falling because viewers were having difficulty following the plot. Rai Due eventually resumed broadcasting, but only after airing The Lost Survivor Guide, which recounts the key moments of the first two seasons and gives a bit of background on the making of the series.

Even though I was an enthusiastic Lostie from the start, I was grateful for the Guide, if only because it reassured me that I wasn’t the only one having trouble keeping track of who was who and who had done what.

Just how complicated can a plot become before people get turned off? From the outset, Lost presented a challenge by splicing flashbacks into the action so that it was up to viewers to work out the narrative sequence. In the fourth and fifth seasons, things got much more complicated with the introduction of flash-forwards and time travel. These are two types of narrative twists that cause special problems for keeping track of a plot and that also open a can of philosophical worms about time itself.