This episode (which I liked a lot) brought up a question for me that's been lingering since the very beginning of the show:

Is there a scientific - or rather pseudoscientific - explanation for the events in Lost?

My definition of a "pseudoscientific explanation" (devoid of the common negative implications of the word) would be something like this:

-Postulate some new science, "new" meaning something beyond the current consensus.
-Formulate the implications of this, i.e. the "rules".
-Allow all events to be explained within the framework of these rules.

Most of this season it has seemed as if the new science is time travel and the rules have been hinted at, but not explicitly defined. (WHH vs ATL etc.)

However, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to imagine time travel alone, with any given set of even slightly ridiculous rules, being able to explain the show in any satisfactory manner. In fact any pseudoscience being able to explain Jacob's and Esau's abilities, for example, seems inconceivable to me. I truly hope that It's just lack of imagination on my part.

Now, I have a recollection of TPTB, at a rather early stage, announcing that science/pseudoscience is the framework of the show, meaning nothing "supernatural" is required to explain any events. Can anyone confirm this and possibly point to the source of this information?

And, yes, I am aware that they also announced that TT was not part of the show, only to blatantly break their promise. But this constitutes an understandable lie to me, as it came at a point in time when confirming TT would have been too much of a giveaway. Departing from a promise of sticking to pseudoscience, on the other hand, would be unforgivable!

Two completely ordinary brothers, traveling in ancient times, happen upon the Island. They discover its time-jumping abilities and use that to create a series of events which makes each of them Immortal. They appear to the natives and other visitors as gods, sort of the in the same way The Wizard of Oz uses deception to create an illusion of power. They then dispute whether to tell the world about the Island and thus bring possible corruption. The Rules involve not interfering in the events which made them Immortal. There's no magic involved--just a clever manipulation of time.

Well, I've brought this up before when developing my Dissociative Identity Disorder theory (which is now completely and totally busted...or at least limping toward a cliff), but I think what I originally missed and what you're missing...is the context within which the producers issued that statement.

I believe it was something along the lines of "I don't think we've shown anything YET on the show that can't be explained by science or pseudo science. There is no time travel, no ufos, etc..."

The important thing to note there is that they were talking about what had been shown on the the show to that point (mid to late first season).

-- J

I believe the statements made by Damon and Carlton about science/pseudoscience were made early on, when they were still sort of hiding where they wanted the show to go.

I think that most things can be explained pseudo scientifically, some stuff may be left up to more supernatural explanation. See their latest podcast for their explanation of the compass, for example.

I think any chance of at least a pseudoscientific explanation in the actual show died the moment Faraday was shot.

However, based on what they did with that character I do think that they're writing according to Arthur C. Clarke's three "laws" of prediction:


When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

I believe it was something along the lines of "I don't think we've shown anything YET on the show that can't be explained by science or pseudo science. There is no time travel, no ufos, etc..."

Ok, that's what I was afraid of. Personally, I think it would be tremendously elegant if no supernatural elements were involved. Supernatural, in this case, meaning something which can't be explained within a pseudoscientific (or perhaps "science fictional" would be a better word?) context. Oh well, there's still hope I guess!

I think the real issue is what CAN'T be explained through pseudoscience? The most supernatural occurrence on the show so far is potential ghosts or post-death apparitions, and while they are certainly supernatural, there's no limit to number of pseudoscientific explanations that could be presented for ghosts.

Pseudoscience is a big place, and there's not a whole lot that can't be explained away there.

I think any chance of at least a pseudoscientific explanation in the actual show died the moment Faraday was shot.

However, based on what they did with that character I do think that they're writing according to Arthur C. Clarke's three "laws" of prediction:


When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.


Love Arthur C Clarke's "laws"! :biggrin:

I really have no idea where the show is going to end up on the spectrum of supernatural - pseudo science - science. They seem to be avoiding straight up magic though: take the donkey wheel for example. Instead of someone waving a wand or saying a spell, someone has to turn a wheel (kind of more "scientific") to get kicked off the island. As though someone figured out a mechanical way of accessing something completely fantastical (a pocket of energy that induces time-skipping). I think a lot of the weirdness we have seen might be explained eventually by the nature of the island: it's in a wormhole/something of that nature.

So while I agree that Jacob and his nemesis seem very hard to explain without some kind of supernaturalness, I think tptb will find a way to tell the story that at least doesn't run off the rails into complete magic and spells territory.