Ultimate Lost and Philosophy
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PHILOSOPHY/POP CULTURE IRWIN SERIES EDITOR: WILLIAM IRWIN What are the metaphysics of time travel? EDITED BY SHARON KAYE How can Hurley exist in two places at the same time? THE ULTIMATE What does it mean for something to be possibly true in the fl ash-sideways universe? Does Jack have a moral obligation to his father? THE ULTIMATE What is the Tao of John Locke? Dude. So there’s, like, this island? And a bunch of us were on Oceanic fl ight 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 AND PHILOSOPHY trouble with our dads? Did Jack have a choice in becoming our leader? And what’s up Think Together, Die Alone 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 fi nale, Lost did more than end its run as one of the most AND PHILOSOPHY 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. SHARON KAYE is professor of philosophy at John Carroll University and edited the original Lost and Philosophy. WILLIAM IRWIN is a professor of philosophy at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, covers Pennsylvania. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books Think Together, Think Together, as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen ALL SIX Die Alone recent titles including Batman and Philosophy, House and Philosophy, and Mad SEASONS Men and Philosophy. of To learn more about the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, visit LOST www.andphilosophy.com $17.95 USA / $21.95 CAN COVER DESIGN: JEFF FAUST EDITED BY FRONT COVER PHOTOS: MATTHEW FOX AND EVANGELINE LILLY, KAYE REISIG AND TAYLOR/© ABC/GETTY IMAGES; TERRY O’QUINN, BOB D’AMICO/© ABC/GETTY IMAGES BLACKWELL PHILOSOPHY AND POP CULTURE SERIES This book has not been approved, licensed, or sponsored by any entity or person involved in creating or producing Lost, the TV series. ftoc.indd viii 9/18/10 7:24:29 AM THE ULTIMATE LOST AND PHILOSOPHY ffirs.indd i 9/18/10 7:23:38 AM The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Series Editor: William Irwin South Park and Philosophy Terminator and Philosophy Edited by Robert Arp Edited by Richard Brown and Kevin Decker Metallica and Philosophy Edited by William Irwin Heroes and Philosophy Edited by David Kyle Johnson Family Guy and Philosophy Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Twilight and Philosophy The Daily Show and Philosophy Edited by Rebecca Housel and Edited by Jason Holt J. Jeremy Wisnewski Lost and Philosophy Final Fantasy and Philosophy Edited by Sharon Kaye Edited by Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu 24 and Philosophy Edited by Jennifer Hart Weed, Alice in Wonderland and Richard Davis, and Ronald Weed Philosophy Edited by Richard Brian Davis Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy Edited by Jason T. Eberl Iron Man and Philosophy Edited by Mark D. White The Offi ce and Philosophy Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski True Blood and Philosophy Batman and Philosophy Edited by George Dunn and Edited by Mark D. White and Rebecca Housel Robert Arp Mad Men and Philosophy House and Philosophy Edited by James South and Rod Edited by Henry Jacoby Carveth Watchmen and Philosophy 30 Rock and Philosophy Edited by Mark D. White Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski X-Men and Philosophy The Ultimate Harry Potter and Edited by Rebecca Housel and Philosophy J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by Gregory Bassham ffirs.indd ii 9/18/10 7:23:38 AM THE ULTIMATE LOST AND PHILOSOPHY THINK TOGETHER, DIE ALONE Edited by Sharon Kaye John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs.indd iii 9/18/10 7:23:39 AM This book is printed on acid-free paper. ϱ Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans- mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750–8400, fax (978) 646–8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permis- sion should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748–6011, fax (201) 748–6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifi cally disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fi tness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. 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Lost (Television program) I. Kaye, Sharon M. PN1992.77.L67U48 2010 791.45'72—dc22 2010028339 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ffirs.indd iv 9/18/10 7:23:39 AM CONTENTS Introduction: Lost and F.O.U.N.D. 1 PART ONE F IS FOR FORTUNE 1 Lost in Lost’s Times 9 Richard Davies 2 Imaginary Peanut Butter: The Puzzles of Time Travel in Lost 32 William J. Devlin 3 It Doesn’t Matter What We Do: From Metaphysics to Ethics in Lost’s Time Travel 47 Jeremy Pierce 4 If Sawyer Weren’t a Con Man, Then He Would Have Been a Cop: Counterfactual Reasoning in the Last Season of Lost 63 Deborah R. Barnbaum PART TWO O IS FOR ORIGIN 5 Lost in Different Circumstances: What Would You Do? 75 Charles Taliaferro and Dan Kastrul v ftoc.indd v 9/18/10 7:24:28 AM vi CONTENTS 6 “Don’t Mistake Coincidence for Fate”: Lost Theories and Coincidence 91 Briony Addey 7 Lost and the Question of Life after Birth 107 Jeremy Barris 8 See You in Another Life, Brother: Bad Faith and Authenticity in Three Lost Souls 120 Sander Lee PART THREE U IS FOR UNITY 9 Lost’s State of Nature 145 Richard Davies 10 Friends and Enemies in the State of Nature: The Absence of Hobbes and the Presence of Schmitt 164 Peter S. Fosl 11 Ideology and Otherness in Lost: “Stuck in a Bloody Snow Globe” 187 Karen Gaffney PART FOUR N IS FOR NECESSITY 12 Escaping the Island of Ethical Subjectivism: Don’t Let Ben Bring You Back 207 George Wrisley 13 Lost Together: Fathers, Sons, and Moral Obligations 220 Michael W. Austin ftoc.indd vi 9/18/10 7:24:29 AM CONTENTS vii 14 Should We Condemn Michael? 233 Becky Vartabedian 15 The Ethics of Objectifi cation and the Search for Redemption in Lost 241 Patricia Brace and Rob Arp PART FIVE D IS FOR DESTINY 16 The New Narnia: Myth and Redemption on the Island of Second Chances 253 Brett Chandler Patterson 17 I Once Was Lost: Aquinas on Finding Goodness and Truth 280 Daniel B. Gallagher 18 The Tao of John Locke 300 Shai Biderman and William J. Devlin 19 Lost Metaphysics: Keeping the Needle on the Record 312 Donavan S. Muir APPENDIX: Who Are Locke, Hume, and Rousseau? The Losties’ Guide to Philosophers 321 Scott F.