John Locke and LOST. Final Blog Post 1. section 8, group 2

LOST, the beautifully, wonderful, confusing show that no one is still quite sure what it's about. The first time I watched the television series Lost, I did not realize all of the philosophers that were mentioned and portrayed. Now, while re-watching it, I have a new outtake on some of the characters. In my three blog posts I will be talking about three important characters who were based on philosophers and their connection, of course there are several more than three philosophers portrayed but I will only be mentioning my favorite three. In this post I will be talking about John Locke, one of the main characters from the series and certainly an important philosopher. John Locke, the philosopher, was a man who dealt with the relationship between nature and civilization, both which circle around the television character for all 6 seasons. The struggle with nature and civilization seems to be the most important aspect of John Locke as a character, as he is faced with many issues not only on the island, but off as well. Another connection that became very apparent was the the belief in "tabula rasa" or "blank slate." This was philosopher, John Locke's belief about children. "Tabula rasa" was also used several times during the television show, like the name of an episode, when Locke takes care of a child, and when he is explaining to another character about their "new start" on the island. One other similarity was that of the social contract theory, something that the actual Locke had developed in his lifetime. The social contract theory was used during the show when John lets Jack become their leader. John is willing to give up some of his natural freedoms for the order and sake of their community. There are certainly many more similarities between John Locke the character and John Locke the philosopher, which is what makes Lost such an intriguing show to watch.