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[PvtUser]

So what do we know. The survivors are in a place that seems to read their minds, grants wishes and/or fears, and gives people unusual powers. It’s full of unusual things and happenings that don’t make sense in the real world. And we have people running around (the "Others") who know everything about this place. And we know this place cannot be found... even people who have been there cannot find there way in again.

Wile I was watching the season finally where the sky turned blue and everything seemed to stop I suddenly remembered this:


Oh dear, I think you'll find reality's on the blink again.
MARVIN THE PARANOID ANDROID's comment when the artificial universe they were in at that time went on the blink for a second.




That then led me to wonder.... did the Swan go haywire because Locke didn't push the button or because Locke stopped believing in it? Belief in the button has been an ongoing theme since episode one of season two.





That took me to Monty Python: (sorry... my mind works that way)


TENANT - Yes, we received a note from the Council saying that if we ceased to believe in this building it would fall down.


INTERVIEWER - You don't mind living in a figment of another man's imagination?


TENANT No, it's much better than where we used to live.





So this place may be something that not only was created by Dharma's people but it is also a place you have to believe in?





That led me to:


THE ARTIFICIAL UNIVERSE THEORY





A rundown of the theory’s points:

DHARMA was experimenting in the ability of the mind to create its own environment.

They went to the south pacific.... somewhere way out of the way where they could do secrete and potentially dangerous experiments.

Through their experiments they managed to create an Artificial Universe

The Artificial Universe is created and maintained by the minds with in it.

The Artificial Universe needs people to believe in it for it to exist. For the most part people’s minds are not disciplined or strong enough to maintain the Artificial Universe if they know its fake.

Dharma put volunteer test subjects in each one of the “hatches” on key “nexus points” in the Artificial Universe and gave them repetitive tasks. The test subjects were never told they were in an Artificial Universe, they were told they were on an island somewhere. Living in the Artificial Universe and doing the repetitive tasks makes it so the test subjects can maintain the Artificial Universe. Kelvin was right--- every time they push the button they saved the “world”.


Once something is created by someone’s mind in the Artificial Universe it is 100% real. IF you knew enough about how to manipulate it you could do almost anything. You can give your self almost superhuman powers (remember Ethan?) But bad luck can still apply. A 9mm fired at point black range can still kill you.

The Artificial Universe may be linking peoples minds…. The others are able to learn a lot about the survivors without even seeing them…. And they can spot strong minds. And the survivors may be inserting them selves into other survivor’s memories… hence all the “linked pasts”.



This theory seems to answer a lot of mysteries in the show, including:


How did so many people survive the plane crash? One day when Desmond failed to push the button the mysterious island forces DHARMA used to create the artificial universe got out of whack and sucked in some poor jet liner that just happened to be flying overhead. 150 passengers plummeted to certain death. Most of the people on 815 may have had the ability to save them selves... but at the instant of the crash they thought they were dead.... ie... they were conscious. All the survivors except for Kate were unconscious, as far as we know... and somehow that saved them---> their unconscious minds thought up a way out of certain death.---->So what saved Kate? One powerful mind? Kate and the marshal were the only real fluke survivors?.... remember the marshal was badly injured.

What was the incident? The subjects in the early test regime knew-- or found out from communication with the other bases via the computer that they were all doing meaningless tasks...and poof-- the artificial universe collapsed.

What’s up with Reznik and Kelvin's Wisk™ black light drawing? They were starting to suspect there are other bases---they figured out there are 5 others --- they had found some… were still looking for others. Kelvin found Desmond on the beach because he was on one of his 108 minute recons. After Kelvin had Desmond he could expand his recon's He finaly found out what he needed.. the way out? He didn't tell Desmond till the last minute because he didn't want to risk collapsing the Artificial Universe. Extra theorizing: Kelvin was a spook. Maybe he was still "in the business" for someone else. Maybe a rival of Alvero Hanso planted Radzinsky and Kelvin in the Hanso Corp. to steal Dharma's secrets. That’s why they painted their map/notes in detergent on the back of a blast door where it can't be seen----> they didn't want anyone in Dharma to know what they are doing. Their plan was to steal the secrets and get off the island once they had them. Kelvin may have finally succeeded since he was about to take off on Desmond's boat.

Why did the Others grab all the children? The children’s minds were very dangerous in that environment. Children don't know the difference between reality and fantasy. A child walking along thinking the island looked like "Jurassic Park" could suddenly think up a flock of Velociraptors. That would be VERY dangerous to the passengers and the Others. They needed to be removed and isolated or controlled some how.

What’s so special with Walt? Why did the Others want him? He has one strong imaginative mind.. maybe the most powerful in that environment. Notice how stuff like polar bears (things he was reading about in the comic book just before the crash) showed up on the island?

Why were the Tailies attacked? They had most of the children. And the Fuselage happened to crash right on a “nexus” that drives the island.

Why were the Others less likely to attack the Fusies?The Fusies may be dangerous and difficult for the Others to invade... even without knowing the nature of the island they could conger up all kinds of nastiness. And the Others seem to want to keep them in place. They may want to use the Fusies to continue the experiment. Or they just don’t have a good way to get that many people out of the Artificial Universe

What is the "disease"? What "drug" they are injecting?
The place they are in seems to be able to read minds.... create what you are thinking... maybe even transfer what you are thinking to another person (and that person may be transferring their thoughts into your mind). That has bad effects on the mind (drives it nuts). And a mind that is going nuts then starts creating even worse mental and physical horrors. It’s a vicious circle.

That is what the "disease" is.

How do you prevent it?

You take anti-psychotic drugs.... flatten your mind out... and prevent it all from happening.

That is what they are injecting.


What is the monster? Just a combination of the mind's version of everything that goes bump in the night. Remember how Rose said the monster sounded familiar? The monster may be an uncontrolled byproduct of the forces that created and maintain the Artificial Universe. It can do what ever you think up… including kill you (the pilot), be the answer to a lot of sudden questions (Locke and Echo), or simply protect you (Danielle).The monster may be a variation of the subconscious "Creature of the Id" from "Forbidden Planet"

How did Mr. Echo's drug plane get to the island? He willed it into existence. It's an Artificial Universe driven by the mind... you can cause almost anything to come into existence.... willingly or unwillingly. Other examples.... Jack's dad, Kate's black horse, Hugo's imaginary friend, and maybe even Walt's comic book polar bears.

Why are a lot of peoples pasts linked? The power of the Artificial Universe to read minds may also link minds.. and the survivors are simple inserting them selves into the other past memory.... if the present is malleable... the past may be as well. Or….it may all be Walt's doing... he was looking at everyone before the plane took off... he even saw the numbers on the teams jersey’s... he may have daydreamed up part of a past for everyone.... and it became real in their minds. Or... it may just be the writers yanking everyone’s chains….. just be the machinations of a bunch of scriptwriters who want you to sit through commercial breaks (and therefore falls outside this theory)

How can the Others disappear without a trace? it's an artificial universe. Large sections of it are a figment of someone else’s imagination. The Others possess the mental training and know-how to simply walk through the fake bits... and simply vanish... or they make up a fake bit that covers their tracks. Notice how ZEKE and Alex conjured up 40 torches? A mechanical trick or a mental stunt?

Why do the Others wear disguises? The Survivors minds have expanded and intermeshed with the “reality”... it has greatly expanded a universe that the survivors minds now drive a good portion of. The Others may want the survivors to continue believing in that reality. They may want to study what it does to the artificial universe. And maybe they don't have a good way to extract that many people out of the artificial universe. They tell the survivors the truth-- the universe collapses.... like it almost did when the Swan base blew.

What's up with the fake "The Door" hatch? "The Door" would be the disembarkation point for the Dharma guinea pigs, before they were sent to their respective hatches. It wasn't just built for the survivors... it has always been there since day 1 of Dharma. It’s just some stage dressing to set up the place. It’s a ruse (like Zeke's beard) to keep people believing the place is real. Radzinsky and Kelvin found out it was fake and scratched it out on their map.

What was going with the "Polar Listening Post"? Penny Widmore probably has tracking data from a two way GPS tracking system on Desmond's boat. So she knew exactly where it was when the signal cut out. When it vanished she may have suspected her father. So armed with Zillions of dollars she investigated her own father and found out the truth... that it was a setup?... and Desmond’s boat sailed right into Hanso Artificial Universe. She then had spies infiltrate Hanso and got the low down on Dharma.

Armed with all the info on how the Dharma "experiment" functions she set up the "Polar Listening Post(s)”.

What would the "Polar Listening Post" be looking for? Penny already knew "where" the island was. There have been enough events to locate it. She just couldn't get in. According to fake Henry "Once you leave, you'll never be able to get back here"... so you can't get in unless you know how. Penny's espionage may have told her how to detect the "door" to the Artificial Universe. She just needed a little more information on how to crack it (like it's location and/or "properties")


MAN #2: "That's it, isn't it? We missed it again..."

MAN #1: "We didn't miss it!"

That scene may be meant to be taken in real time. So they are looking at an event after the Swan blew, some "anomaly" they were told to look for. What they are seeing would be about the time Michael and Walt left the Artificial Universe in the boat. It also means there may have been some other recent comings or goings that they missed, like maybe the Dharma supply drop.




What’s the ultimate mystery? It’s in the middle of the island. It hasn’t been seen yet. Something created by the original “incident”? Hanso or some other person trapped in an earlier version of the Artificial Universe? More to come…….
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J.J.: ...whenever you notice something like that, "The CC did it".

Fan: Yes, but in season 2 episode 12....

J.J.: CC!!!

Fan: Aw, for glaven out loud.

[astralcraze]

That is an awesome theory!!!!!!!!!

[blackfly]

That is a great theory that has the possibility to explain everything. The only problem that presents itself to me is that it may be too easy. Like the last part of your post showing J.J. Abrams using the CC as an explanation for everything. This theory is great and covers every base that a theory should, but I really hope the show doesn't end up like this. It would just seem like a lazy way out. The show would seem to lose a lot of its imagination, magic, and romanticism...
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[PvtUser]

[Arthas Menethil]

Thats a good theory. I like it
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[PvtUser]

Hey... I like the signature banner.... wish I could make something like that
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J.J.: ...whenever you notice something like that, "The CC did it".

Fan: Yes, but in season 2 episode 12....

J.J.: CC!!!

Fan: Aw, for glaven out loud.

[PvtUser]

More stuff added.
_________________

J.J.: ...whenever you notice something like that, "The CC did it".

Fan: Yes, but in season 2 episode 12....

J.J.: CC!!!

Fan: Aw, for glaven out loud.

[DJ Cha,mber]

it all makes sense. dont think it is "explained by science or para-science" (like they said it is in a podcast) though. i really hope it's not true.
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www.myspace.com/djchamber for some free big beat n breaks goodness.

[grimjester]

This is one of the best and most developed theories I've read on this site, I can agree with almost everything you say and it would not suprise me to find that you are correct.

ONE problem.

Walt had his strange powers BEFORE the plane crash (making the bird fly into the window, his adoptive father complaining odd things happen around him.)

Other than that, this is a grade A theory, well done.

[CrazyForSawyer]

I will vote for any theory that involves a quote from Monty Python...
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Here be Dragons

[PvtUser]

Ty---- Python is great.






And now..............







More bandwith killing JPGs added to the theory cause I love Python and that goofy looking fake etching.

[CrazyForSawyer]

[LordDyran]

I rather like this theory. It also explains how Jack managed to raise a dead Charlie, but by that same virtue, I'm not sure why he wasn't able to save Boone.
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Who are we to tell anybody what they can or can't do?
- John Locke

[PvtUser]

[PKTjellis]

You said that this explains how Zeke was able to conjure up 40 torches from nowhere...but in '3 minutes' they show that scene and Zeke asks the chick (Maybe Rousseau's daughter) if the torches 'are ready'. In my mind that means that they were real and not conjured from anything.

Your theory explains a whole lot but it only does it because it's really the easy way out. Also, in the 'Theories Officially Discredited by the Producers' it says that the survivors are not in a fictional reality generated by one or more of them. Your theoryisn't exactly that but it's pretty close.