This week we're going to learn about how Locke got the alias of "Jeremy Bentham." Interesting, the real Bentham believed in utilitarianism: which essentially is a philosophy that embodies the phrase "the ends justify the means." Thus, morality depends not on any universal idea of truth, but rather what is moral is that which is useful and contributes to one's society. This connects to his belief in legal or civil rights over natural law. Remember from my island's class, that the real John Locke was a prime contributor to "Social Contract Theory," meaning that people give up certain personal rights to a government for the sake of the community (i.e. we follow laws that may go against our moral beliefs for the collective safety of everyone)
So, basically in connection to Locke, Locke's "civil laws" (a.k.a. Bentham's beliefs) that he abides by are the island's laws, not the laws or morality or nature and Locke believes Jack et al should all come back to the island for the sake of the island (a la the real Locke), thus sacrificing their personal lives for the community/island.
Interestingly, Jack, who has been such an adversary of Locke's since Season 2, is so willing to sacrifice everything he has to get back to the island and justify Locke's suicide note to him from last episode: "I wish you had believed me."
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Welcome new LOSTCampia people! It's great and don't be afraid to post.
ReplyDeleteSo I was looking on wikipedia about Jeremy Bentham and one of the other big things they said about him is that he was all for animals having equal rights. Now I know it's not an animal and somehow I feel like they won't pull it out 2 weeks in a row, but ultimately he may go to try to defend the smoke monster, seeing it not only as a thing but as a means of protecting the island. Also, in terms of ends justifying the means, that may have a lot to do with his suicide. It is not an acceptable thing to do, but he is willing to kill himself to protect the island.
Last thing, I assume this week will be the week Locke visits all of O6. They were all really sketched out by it so it will be interesting to see what he said.
WOAH WAIT THERE'S MORE
ReplyDeleteok so I read more of the wikipedia article (ad then verified this because it seemed like some crazy rando editing it) After Bentham died, he become an auto-icon, meaning he had his body preserved and put on display. In making his body ok for preserving they had to take out a lot of his insides, and ultimately had to replace his head with wax because it got so messed up in the process.
So not all of that may be relevant, but when he died he was adamant about his cause still being remembered (he had it on display so he could be "present but not voting") and Locke has done this in a way too. By making his death known to everyone he made an impact on people wanting to go back to this island...ok I'm getting too worked up because its not on for another 9 hours.
So.....yeah. Ben kills Locke. Crazy. Is he really evil, does that cement it? Also, poor Abaddon. Further comments to come, too lazy right now.
ReplyDeleteOoh, also, as far as I know Liz, that's all true. I've heard the "present but non-voting" thing a lot before, so I think that's right.
ReplyDeleteOk, I need to process this episode for a little while. BUT, after being critical of the writing and the plot last week, I do have to say that this episode, like "The Constant" last year, is one of the best, in terms of story, plot, connections, drama, and action. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteToo tired for a real post, but here's a quick thought. Before Locke tried to hang himself, he threw away his cell phone. It seemed weird to me that they included that detail in the scene. But then I thought about the scene when Ben told Locke that Jacob hated technology. Could Locke be Jacob? That would make him special, right?
ReplyDeleteI think that the phone part may have been just because he lost faith in Widmore. But I do like the Jacob connection regardless.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, this episode was awesome.
This episode struck me as a little bizarre. I almost feel like it would remind me of the Passion of the Christ, if only I’d seen that. Yes, the auto-icon connection is very apt. And the cell tech thing seems on-target, too.
ReplyDeleteLocke, it seems, has now passed beyond the point where he has someone to guide him. He’s kind of on his own, torn between Ben… Widmore… Richard… Christian… etc. He can’t just follow their instructions anymore.
I liked to the nod to the blatant philosophical homages in his two names, anyway.
I’m inclined to blame Widmore/Abaddon for Helen’s death. Locke’s conversation with Kate suggested that Helen might be the only thing that would keep Locke from going back to the island.
It was interesting to see how bad a leader he was off-island, in that very different context. I initially thought that Locke had to die because the island wouldn’t let him back on otherwise. But then Ben got back, too.
Planes like that have two pilots. Which left on the boat? Who went with him/her? Could Frank have been flying with… Widmore?
And what about the mention of Eloise made Ben strangle Locke?
And, given how much they seemed to fear his death, did neither Ben nor Widmore expect Locke to be resurrected?
And what’s this about a war????
P.S.
ReplyDeleteToday in my religion class we noted the opening line of Peter Pan:
"All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again."
And, while we're at it, the opening line of the new Battlestar Galactica show:
"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_return
I agree with the camera focus on the cell phone, and I remember thinking that it was dumb that he was just tossing it in a little barrel, not destroying it. I'm going to quote myself from earlier in Lostcampia about "The Little Prince" episode where I, too, contemplated that Locke is Jacob:
ReplyDelete*My new tenuous theory is that Jacob is Locke. Just as Daniel (possibly) saw his own mother when she was a young woman, I think in the cabin last year, Locke sees himself in the future (after he is dead and reincarnated Island-style, like Jack's dad). When Jacob says, "Help me" to Locke, he's talking to a past version of himself. This has nothing to do with this week's episode, though.
OK.
ReplyDeleteso that was crazy.
I was talking to the computer... literally. My roommates were confused.
My favorite thing about that epsiode was that WALT WAS BACK. I love how they always talk about how big he is and I think that he should be back on the show. I expected him to do something crazy or predict the future or something, so his conversation kind of disappointed me, but I am glad that he is doing well and I expect him to come back because that couldn't be it.
Welcome new people!!
Another quick thought--Locke was often shown playing games during the first two seasons. Now, there seems to be a big question about whether he's a pawn in a game between Ben and Widmore or whether he's the king who's being protected at all costs. I think it's great that they've brought the game stuff back to the forefront.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I thought this episode did a lot of great "bringing back" things, like
ReplyDeleteWalt--remember, he was supposed to be "special," too, (especially think of the "The Missing Pieces" mobisode with Ben and Juliet and the birds were flying into the wall). So, although the Walt piece in this episode was quick, I think he's still going to have a big role.
Hey, who's the woman they referred to who went with the pilot (presumably, Lapidus), took the canoe, and paddled off?
ReplyDeleteWe know the island flashed away Kate, and it probably makes sense that it flashed away Sun, too. Which other women are there that might be on the plane that Lapidus knew well enough to steal a canoe with? Penny?
Kevin, good question. Some said that it was Sun, but I agree with you, that Sun should have been "flashed" away with the others, we just haven't seen where she ended up yet.
ReplyDeleteSo, I agree, it must be someone we know, but who?