I think I'd have to push the button, no reason to temp fate, plus the video would have me freaked.

I was really hoping Jack would let it run out.

On the other hand, now they have time to explore the hatch a little more to see if there is anything...well, more odd about it!

I think curiosity would get the better of me and I'd end up not pushing it.

after watching the film, i would have to press it!

I was yelling "Don't push it!!!"
It was the combination of Hurley's experience with the numbers and Walt's freaky whispered warning (>) that makes me think the button is not what we have been led to believe.

-NOTPURGATORY

I agree with Jack's first analysis: it is simply a pschological test to see how long someone would do the act of typing the code and pressing Execute. I mean, seriously, do they really think that the 'fate of the world' hinges on this computer? Someone rigged up explosives (or whatever) all over the world that will destroy the Earth unless this code is typed in on this computer? Bah! Let the countdown finish I say!!!!

They might not have the whole world rigged but all it would take is the hatch or island ,that would be enough for me, just the thought of some virus or sickness being released; I agree it felt like an experiment, but until I had further facts or a plan, I think I'd be pressing that button

I agree. I think the hatch is a psychological experiment, but I would definitely be pushing that button until I made some sense of things. I am sure Sayid is going to have that place figured out in no time. It has running water and electricity. That has to come from SOMEWHERE.

Yeah... if I were in Jack's shoes at that very moment, I would have pressed the button just like he did. If only to make sure the place didn't blow up or something. All that food and supplies down there, can't go putting that in jeopardy. I dunno if I could have kept pressing it for 3 years like Desmond though...

I wouldn't push it even though when listening to what Walt said, I think he says, "Press the button. No button is bad," as in NOT to push it is bad.

I might push it one or two times but the film doesn't convince me of anything so in less then a day I would tempt fate.

at that point, i'd have pushed the button. in fact, i'd push it for at least a few 108 minute time sets so i could really look into the area - see if there's evidence of a way it would self-destruct, give me time to bring stuff out in case not pushing it either self destructed the area or locked the doors.. and when I decided to NOT push it, I'd leave after having pushed it giving time to move away..

That would be the worst, never sleeping for more than 108 minutes in a row.

Maybe the button being pushed keeps the test subject controlled and not executing the numbers would release them...ruining the experiments?

Ok heres my thing....I agree with Jack..I dont think anything would have happened if the button wasnt pushed....BUT, since nothing bad happens (as far as we know) when the button IS pushed, why not just keep things going as they are because then we know it will be safe.

I think I'd have to let the timer count down. Your already stuck on an island with little chance of rescue as far as you know. Why not just let it run down and see what happens. I think I'd be to stubborn to continue pressing the button. I'd think it was just a psychological habit.

I would keep pushing it until I knew more about the place and had time to take supplies and get out, and then I would let the clock run down with everyone far away from the hatch.

I'm just glad I'm not in that hatch because I've been known to oversleep, it sure would suck to destroy the world because I was too lazy to get out of bed.

No way would I have pushed that button, I was hoping Jack would have continued on his 100% man streak, but unfortunately he caved. Quite understandable given the situation he was in...but I was really hoping he wouldn't have pushed the button. Now it will only be that much harder to NOT push the button in the future. AND now Locke has Jack right where he wants him.

What if their destiny was to go to that island and free Desmond from the hatch and expose the Dharma Corp. for a fraud...how does Locke know their destiny includes pushing the button?

Yeah, me too. If I were one of the bystanders, Kate, Sayid, Hurley - well, not Hurley - I would have just said, "Whatever, John and Jack..." and pushed it myself. At least I'd know that I'd have another 108 minutes to do a little more "safe" research.

It seemed weird that Desmond left the "safe" haven as a result of the computer being damaged. So that tells me that the "execute" button meant that the Dharma Pod 3 would "self-destruct." This makes sense because if both "partners" died, there'd be no one to push the button, and the experimental people would probably want the evidence destroyed. Make sense?

I'd push it.

It's obviously been maintained... the pushing of the button that is. The island exists, none of the surviors of the crash have gotten sick. So pushing the button, we know keeps things as they are, on at least the level we're accustomed to.

That means we can survive while we figure out what pushing the button does.

If I don't, I don't know what will happen. It could all end right there. We could all start dying of some horrible disease in a few days.

I'd push the thing. No question. Then I'd find out what it did.

Those are my exact feelings, Mariner, and I think you've hit the nail right on the head, Mountain Girl. The fact that he needs to GET AWAY from the hatch when he can't enter the numbers goes to show that he at least THINKS (and maybe has reason to) that whatever kind of sickness he may get on the island is a lot safer than being in the hatch when the time expires. The idea of the hatch area exploding simply to destroy all evidence of the testing is genius... and now that the Lostaways found Desmond, they will be able to keep the timer from hitting zero until they're found or at least testify to what the Dharma Corp had been doing.

I wouldn't press it. It's a pschological experiment just like the stanford prison experiment or the one where they had people deliver "electric shocks" for wrong answers and the y heard the other person screaming but the person being experimented on kept pressing the "deliver shock" button until well after it was obvious the dose was leathal. If you press it you are a sucker.

I would have push the button until further investigation of the sphere's capabilities. What is wrong with Jack the man of science being confronted with science? Jack went off the deep end as many have suggested on other boards as the leader of this group. He watched the video once with a smirk on his face, refused to double check the information and then deliberated until Locke pleaded for the safety of the group. As a man of science one would assume he could see the possibilities of the sphere as a safe refugee, food stores, water, electricity that would benefit all. Instead we have Jack with open verbal conflict with Locke and Desmond who are trying to tell him valuable information. If the button has been pushed in sequence; common sense says ....don't rock the boat.....until you have a concrete irruputable information that proves it does not have a beneficial function with a clock ticking down. It was not the time or place to demonstrate his arrogence to humiliate Locke. Jack is now aware of the 6 spheres. He is aware that this sphere contains the electro magnetic unit which could blow.

The button is keeping somethign from happening. But what if that something is something detremental to the Dharma Initiatives experiments. We have no idea if their intentions are purely good. They are researching uptopian societies but whose? Think Aeon Flux, Equilibrium, the island, the list goes on and on. Not all utopian societies are perfect. I think that the button is nothing but a psychological placebo.

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=20410

If Jack is an educated man he might have been familar with the works of B.F. Skinner and the ideas he championed.

I'm not an expert on the man but I have read some of his works. From just hearing his name mentioned in connection with this I would not have pushed the button..

Unless of course someone told me in detail what the 'incident' was all about. ;)

I understand everyone who says don't push it, its just an experiment, but what I dont understand is risking your life and everyone on the islands life just to prove your right.
I mean think about all the other weird occurances on this island, Black Smoke pulling locke into a hole ring a bell with anyone? They all know something way off is going on.
Plus I'm sure there has been more than one experiment that had bad consequences. Lets just say whatever is going on is illegal or top secret, it wouldnt be the first time the corps or governments killed people to cover their butts or keep a secret.

Given all the mysteries and death and suprises this island has, anyone who wants to risk death because they read BF Skinner and have a vague feeling they may be part of some psychological experiment.. please step aside while I push it.

We'll address your questions afterwards. But at the initial point in time where it needs to be pushed, no one has any idea what will happen if you don't. I have two options at that point. Push it, maintain the status quo. Don't push it, step into another unknown area that I've been warned repeatedly about.

Don't know about you, but I don't like stepping into dark places when someone is standing beside me telling me it's gonna hurt. Give me a light. Give me a solid reason. Show me why it won't hurt, then I will. But just because you know some psychology that may or may not be related?

I like a little firmer footing.

Well, you gotta push the button until you get more information.:)

I wonder why Desmond thought the world was gone?

I think the fact that they even mentioned the name Skinner is strange. If you wanted to conduct an experiment why even bring him up if on the off chance that there might be people among your 'control' group (like myself and several others here) who have actually read his works and knew what he was about?

I would have sat back and said "Yeah..right. Find someone else to play your mind games!"

They would need people with no prejudices or pre-conceived notions to do their work. How would they go about finding that out? Look at me ..I'm a college drop out and an American Indian. I've read Skinner! Who would know and I think I would be suspicious if someone asked me that on any kind of application!

I like how Desmond stated that he thought about that every single moment for however long (while Jack was screaming at him, I think Jack's lost it, he needs a stiff drink and..)

that thought would just torment you, what if its not real? But he has no where to go and nothing else to do but push the button (just in case). The lostees are now in the same position.

Talk about a Skinner Box.

My question is, what motivated Desmond to continually perform the task for three long, lonely years? Especially after Kelvin(?) died. All that time alone and apparently thinking that the rest of the world had vanished or been destroyed, why press the button?

I'd push the button. There's enough time to NOT push the button later...

1) push the button & get 108 min.
2) find/follow cables from computer to timer - they have to be there somewhere
3) find/follow cables from computer &/or timer to see what else is connected

1) push the button & get 108 min.
2) find/follow cables from computer to timer - they have to be there somewhere
3) find/follow cables from computer &/or timer to see what else is connected

Hum.You got me thinkin' about the cable Sayid found on the beach.

plus whoever is down there gets a bed!!! and can wash clothes, etc

Honestly, I'd keep pushing the button for as long as it took myself and the other survivors to find out the truth. Why? Because I believe in weighing the potential consequences of any experiment (which not pushing the button to see what happens IS) against what can be earned from completing the experiment. It's the same as the risk/reward debates that go on in science concerning genetic research, or quantum mechanical research, and so on.

In this particular case, the potential risk (the unleashing of some doomsday device) is as outlandish as the potential for creating a massive black hole in a supercollider, for a reward of what... being proven right? Seriously, entering the numbers and pressing execute (which in my tests here would take me about 5 seconds) every 104 minutes (since the alarm goes off 104 minutes after reset) with 40+ people available to take a shift (all you need is 14 to have each person doing 1 a day) is a minor thing to do while taking the time to explore and figure out the truth.

And this is part of the point about Jack and Locke's standoff: if it's just pushing a button, then why was Jack so resistant to doing it? Would Jack really be willing to risk the world JUST on the chance to be proven right? That's a pretty weak risk/reward analysis... end of the world vs. boosting your ego. If it was just about entering the numbers and pushing the button, Jack would have done it, no problem. Locke knew there was more to it for Jack than merely pushing a damn button... but Jack needed to realize that too. It's not about believing that the world would end, in the end, but believing that its just a button.

I would press the button for all of the reasons stated above. Plus, this is only a frustrating, manipulative experiment if there is only one person to push the button. With 40+ people it it just a boring, repetitive and shared task. If I had been in that room, I would have knocked Jack over getting to the button if I had to since it is not just his decision, but the decision of everyone in the room to make.

On an only slightly related topic, if I were in the hatch alone & was convinced that not pushing the button would result in the end of the world, I would have moved my bed next to the computer. I mean really, who wants to get up in the middle of the night multiple times if you can just roll over and press the execute button. I'm just sayin' :biggrin:

Maybe season two ends with the survivors not pushing the buttons.
I also like to make a statement here:

I think that as we move forward with the series, we get to know all of the places.
Like the swan is number three of six. It is one of the zones on the island.
I think that if there excist computers like in the swan, then maybe all of the inhabitants build up a giant ship and leave the island without pushing the buttons.

What would happen then would be interesting.

I would have moved my bed next to the computer. I mean really, who wants to get up in the middle of the night multiple times if you can just roll over and press the execute button. I'm just sayin' :biggrin:

No doubt, that bunk bed would have been in the middle of that room, It'd be just like hitting the snooze button, only better because you get 108 minutes between hits, instead of 9 minutes like on my very annoying alarm clock.

It took everything in Jack to make him push that button. He pushed it because he did not want to be responsible if something -although slim in his mind-were to happen.
He hated pushing that button. Me, I would of let it go. I would never push it. Because once you push it, you're stuck. Just like Desmond.

The whole time I was hoping Jack wouldn't press the button... But that's obviously because I was hopin to see what would happen... If I were him, I would probably have to press the button... Not a big risk taker..