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[andrew smith]

I'll try to keep this brief:









John Locke the philosopher wrote:

"For since consciousness always accompanies thinking, and 'tis that, that makes every one to be, what he calls 'self'; and thereby distinguishes himself from all other thinking things, in this alone consists personal Identity, i.e. the sameness of a rational Being: And as far as this consciousness can be extended backwards to any past Action or Thought, so far reaches the Identity of that Person..." (An Essay Concerning Human Understanding).




William S. Burroughs wrote in The Western Lands:

"The Egyptians recognized many degrees of immortality. The Ren and the Sekem and the Khu are relatively immortal, but still subject to injury. The other souls who survive physical death are much more precariously situated.

Can any soul survive the searing fireball of an atomic blast? If human and animal souls are seen as electromagnetic force fields, such fields could be totally disrupted by a nuclear explosion. The mummy's nightmare: disintegration of souls, and this is precisely the ultrasecret and supersensitive function of the atom bomb: a Soul Killer, to alleviate an escalating soul glut."

[For the sake of concise writing, the following theory requires knowledge of the second series - apologies to non-USA viewers. Apologies also for the lack of screenshots hereafter - this will be rectified at the earliest opportunity.]

Hypothesis:

At the height of The Cold War, Alvar Hanso sought to transcend physical limitations and mortality by putting his identity - as defined by memory - into an ageless and atomic-proof electromagnetic field. His scientists did this for him - he was the Dharma Initiative. This is why they came to the island - for its innate electromagnetic properties. His transformation left him as a formless, weightless field, vulnerable to any electrical fluctuations around him which would disrupt his very soul. The scientists anchored his soul to a metal body - this is the monster that stomps the island. Unable to speak with a mouth of flesh, he can project his thoughts and is able read the thoughts of those around him; he is capable of projecting a mind's worst fears.

The experiment was repeated more successfully on a number of scientists, but this time they used the island's electromagnetic properties to create a field around the island. After the transformations, the test subjects retained their human forms - sustained by the island's field. They were powerful individuals; they lifted The Black Rock from the sea; they were able to manipulate microscopic objects; and they were able to cast their minds far afield. However, disaster struck: the field around the island was not properly regulated and a fly-over by a spy-plane (seen crashing in the background of one of Charlie's visions) caused the already overloaded field to collapse. As a result, the scientists' forms - made stable by the field - disintegrated, becoming the black smoke we know.

From then on, a human pair was required to re-set the island's field every 108 minutes, from the safety of the Swan hatch, so that it did not become critically overloaded.

The black smoke is still powerful and is able to read minds and memories; it is the collective consciousness of the scientists, an amorphous cloud of sentience. It thinks, therefore it is, but it longs to regain human form.

It was written in the stars that flight 815 would go off course and would be disassembled thousands of feet above the island. These people were doomed from the moment they were born: this is their fate, as predicted by Dharma scientists. However, it was not a meaningless tragedy; the collective consciousness could salvage the minds of the passengers as they plummetted to their deaths.

So the experiment was repeated. As their lives flashed before their eyes, their souls - for wont of a better word - were condensed into what we see walking and talking on the island: Jack, Kate etc.. In line with officially discounted theories: these beings ARE alive. They are borne from memory (as per John Locke's philosophy) but they persist as sentient beings in human form.

They are defined by their own memory, but they also define each other with their memories: the one reason Locke can now walk is that no-one remembered him being unable to walk - no-one saw his wheelchair because he was carried onto the plane before anybody else - and his wheelchair was stowed. The collective assumption was that he was able to walk. And so: he could. On one occasion, his own memory that he WAS disabled crept back in and he lost the ability; he is literally dependent on Faith. Jin could not make a baby; but he did not know this; he was not constrained in the belief that he could not make a baby; therefore he WAS able to make a baby.

Many things on the island are re-constructed from the memories of the survivors. Re-constructed memories include: Kate's horse, Jack's dad, Eko's brother, a couple of polar bears. Other things are not re-constructed from memories: Dharma is real and its people are aware of the transient nature of the Losties. It was the Dharma Initiative that created the possibility of making memory real. Is our consciousness merely the sum of our experiences? In the case of the Losties: yes. They - and the freakier things on the island - are created and sustained in an artificially generated field that makes reality subservient to memory, experience and expectation.

Which leads us to the young... if the Losties have this [localised] power to define their surroundings through memory, what power could the young or newly-born possess? Walt and Aaron are special because they are less constrained by a perception of what is possible. Aaron has not yet experienced the idea that fire can burn skin; in which case, fire would not burn his skin. Aaron could be anything he wants; and, with the wrong guidance, could do a great deal of harm to the world, hence the dire warning from Claire's psychic. Walt has similar power, but, because of his age, may not be as powerful - he is constrained by the memory of limitations, such as "I can't fly like Superman, even if I jump up and down on a trampoline" - anchored by experience of limitation.

Zeke: "This is not your island...This is our island. And the only reason you're living on it is cos we let you live on it." The button-pressing keeps the field at a stable level, sustaining all the survivors and the black smoke. Right now, the 'survivors' are being judged. Those regarded as good are taken away and mercifully de-gaussed; the 'bad' will be taken over by the black smoke - and the scientists will re-possess human form.

There are many many many clues and references in Lost. But this is the biggest clue: that there are so many clues! As in a dream, the narrative is populated by things from memory: we sleep and we dream of the day just gone. Our survivors - borne of memory - re-create themselves and their environment. All their influences, key moments in their lives, books they have read, films they have seen become real - as in a dream.

I have some so-called 'evidence' [and screenshots] to back my argument and will do this later, but the most poignant scene to substantiate this idea is when Charlie and Claire enjoy an imaginary pot of peanut butter. Even as they scoop dollops of air into their mouths, they start to taste real peanut butter.







I include the images below to remind myself to fill out the explanation - please ignore.






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The Astorian Theory

[doctor hanso]

a)the comic-bookish art is amazing... im assuming you did it yourself

b)its almost hard to remember the nearly sci-fi aspects of the show, since mostly they seem condensed in Smokey whom we dont see enough of... so too much theorizing lately has been focused on the dramatic aspects of the show... thanks for the reminder

c)as to the theory itself... im interested in seeing the final bits of it, but im almost hoping the actual show doesnt delve quite so much into that much sci-fi-ness. Its just a suspension of disbelief thing. While it takes a certain acceptable and barely noticible amount of disbelief suspension to believe a large number of survivors survived a crash a zillion feet in the air, or that a black cloud eats people, it takes a bit more effort to throw that suspension into mad scientists downloading their consciousness into a box. Not that im looking for television without effort, but you know what i mean... it just seems like it would be jumping genres in this way i have a hard time explaining, but still makes sense in my own head
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[hansel]

not sure i'm buying this one as much as the last i'm afraid.

A+ for effort though

[stuvey]

Absolute stoned. Absolute confused.
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{o,o}
|)__)
-"-"-
O RLY?

[katiabrasil]

Hi Andrew,

Amazing job, as usual. But honestly, the Ultimate Theory makes much more sense to me!
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I'm LOST.

[polterbyte]

First of all, are you positive you're not Alan Moore? If not, you should submit some of your own stories to DC or Marvel (or even Mad Love ).

Great theory (as always). I like how the children fit into it like a glove, but the degaussing of the good people seems a bit flimsy, though. Oh, and it's peanut butter--not honey--that Charlie and Claire were daydreaming about.

And also, I agree with Doc Hanso on the suspention of disbelief overstretch.

Thanks for a fine piece of reading. Keep it up.
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[andrew smith]

re: polterbyte:
Ana asked Goodwin about the children. Goodwin said, with a sympathetic smile, "They're better off now."

I took this to mean: the children are no more. But, under what circumstances, could eliminating the 'good' be considered merciful - only if their continued existence was cruel.
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The Astorian Theory

[polterbyte]

[John Boy]

Probably the best and most original theory I have read from Andrew yet.
It kinda makes sense in some aspects, for example, Alvar Hanso being the "monster" and scientists becoming the black smoke after the field was destroyed by a spy plane.

The thing I dont understand is how they became the black smoke?
How does Dr.Candle "capture" Hansos soul and but it in the box?

Is it because of the islands mysterious electromagnetic force? I get the feeling now that The Black Rock was already underwater, close to the island. The scientists with the new found ability rose the ship and placed it on the island. Why? To test out that power perhaps?

So every single passanger and flight attentant that died during the crash did not die "in vain". The black smoke read and stored their memories in a hope to become humans agian itself, I think that settles the argument that the black smoke was at the plane during the crash.

But why do we need so many survivors, if the main objective is for the to push the button to maintain the field around the island? It is at least a two man job as Dr.Candle put it. Maybe its just to give the illusion to our main characters Jack, Locke etc that they are not entirely alone on the island.
To help them cope just that little bit more.

I like the ideas of, because no-one but Locke new he couldnt walk before the crash, the assumed he could walk. Because Locke always believed nothing could tell him what to do he more or less he believed he could walk even over his 4 years of being wheelchair bound.

The ideas about Aaron are very plausible, he doesnt know he cant drown in water so he would be able to survive underwater (my own example lol) In turn Aaron is practicly invunrable, but only on the island. But I believe if anything would happen to Claire while Aaron was at an understanding that Claire is his mother, his "powers" would stop, or maybe become even more powerful who knows.

All in all, a very good theory, but as dr.hanso said this might be a bit sci-fi for alot of viewers if this was the end result of Lost. But keep the work, hopefully we hear some of your theories about how Lost will end rather than how it begins.
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Will you be my constant?

[Agent Palmer]

Once again blown away by Andrews creativity. THis is better than watching the damn show. I do not believe this theory is the "answer" to Lost,,, but it sure could be.

By the way, it was a jar of Peanut Butter, not honey. And I'm pretty sure, judging by Claires reaction, that they both knew there was no peanut butter in the jar. They were just "imagining".... playing around. Charlie just wanted Claire to move to the caves with him so he made up a cute game. Claire went along with him because, as we say in America, "sometimes it's the thought that counts." She knew he couldn't get peaunt butter for her... but what he did do was very cute. Chicks love that $#!%.

Also, Kates Horse, Jacks Dad, Walts Polar Bear- we actually SAW those things. But there was no peanut butter in the jar.
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"I'm tied to a tree on mystery Island and I just got tortured by a damn spinal surgeon and a genuine Iraqi- of course I'm serious..."

[andrew smith]

re: Agent Palmer:
Peanut butter it was - will amend. I see Charlie had his ulterior motive, but the symbolism is there: if they imagine it's real, it is real.
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The Astorian Theory

[yung23]

nice artwork andrew.

but it deals more with making many worlds happen, than it does with want, or imagining something to become real.


they do not have the control themselves, but are granted these things by proballilties being altered by your "Hanso"..

but I dont think its him, I think it was a test subject of his. (my APOLLO)

Zeke made a mentioning of "him", and I took this to mean Hanso was physically on the island somewhere.


my guess is still the missing islets.

the ones surrounded by "les trois isles"
which also has a triangle of some sort drawn around it on Danielles maps.

[andrew smith]

What do you mean by "many worlds"?

How can one hook the poisson in probability?
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The Astorian Theory

[Agent Palmer]

[Surfgirl]

Hi Andrew,

your artwork is again fantastic and i see you put a lot of effort in this theory, i hope there will be more to come.
Still, I was wondering why you didn't mention the black box anymore, it is still called the black box theory so i found it weird that you left out the bit of cassettes of 108 min, etc. But maybe you're still working on that and you still have to include the part
I like the theory but I don't think the 'main' audience would understand it, that's why I think it might be a little bit far fetched. If this is the true outcome of lost, it looks like the producers would expect that they would only have to answer to a highly intelligent public, but unfortenately this isn't the case. I was woundering where you stand on that.
But still, great work!
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-Sometimes illusion is closer to the truth than reality is-