Novikov self-consistency principle Edit

I think this is a great read for those of us trying to make sense of this time travel, as well as a possible theory. I'll post this quick excerpt if you don't feel like reading the whole thing.

"....even if there were time travelers on the Titanic, they obviously failed to stop the ship from sinking. The Novikov Principle does not allow a time traveler to change the past in any way, but it does allow them to affect past events in a way that produces no inconsistencies—for example, a time traveler could rescue people from a disaster, and replace them with realistic corpses seconds before it occurs. Providing that the rescuees do not re-emerge until after the time traveler first journeyed into the past, his/her motivation to create the time machine and travel into the past will be preserved. In this example, it must always have been true that the people were rescued by a time traveler and replaced with realistic corpses, there was no "original" history where they were actually killed, since the notion of "changing" the past is ruled out completely by the self-consistency principle.

My (Pre Season 5) Theories Edit

• Locke left the Island by moving it. He did so because of the many bad things that happened. Because of this move the O6 is able to find the Island again, and return there. When they bring Locke with, he is "reborn" in a similar method as Christian Shephard.

• Jack is the true chosen one. His seperation from his father, and Christian's subsequent death combined to bring Jack to the Island. Jack has performed miracles (saving Sarah, possibly others as he is a surgeon), and is a natural leader. Jack was seperated from the group in the beginning because he was meant to descend on the crash site as the savior. Jack seeing Christian in the White Rabbit was the first sign of Jack being "special." Being a "man of science" Jack chose not to believe. The Island did its best to keep Jack there, but Jack still left, and has been haunted by it since. Rather than choose to accept his fate, Jack denied the miracles of the Island. He was supposed to find Jacob's Cabin, and be reunited with his father and half-sister, and in turn lead the Island.

• Jack, or Christian operated on Locke when Locke broke his back. They "saved" Locke.

• The Purge has happened many times. Each time the Island is moved, it returns to a time before The Purge. Jack leaving the Island triggered the beginning of a new Purge, one that will be lead by Locke. The Purge is always carried out by the "Hostiles." These Hostiles are people who have previously died on the Island. - Obviously the Island is skipping through time, so this theory will be tested throughout the season.

• Regarding the Season 4 DVD Deleted Scenes - The man lying in the sand that Ben sees while retrieving his money/passports is John Locke. Locke moved the Island, just like Ben, and ended up in nearly the same location, but since he moved it from another time he was slightly closer. -- Partially debunked. The man in the deleted scene appears to be wearing a parka, where as John was not wearing one.

• The "Frozen Donkey Wheel" can be turned in either direction. The direction turned determines where/when the person is transported to.

The Context Theory Edit

• Certain events we have seen happen on the Island have happened during Island "skips." When taken in true context, it will be revealed that these events were supposed to happen, and in some cases were course corrections made by someone (ie Ben, Locke, etc) acting on behalf of the Island.
  • In White Rabbit, Jack falls and is pulled up the cliff by Locke. Locke tells Jack that they are all on the Island for a reason. This is actually the post-time jump Locke. He knows what is supposed to happen on the Island, and is making sure to lead Jack in the right direction, toward the caves.
  • In All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues, when Locke and Boone are walking toward the hatch, Locke makes a statement concerning the exact timing of the rain. It is perfectly correct. Again, this is the post time skipping Locke.
  • In the There's No Place Like Home, Part 1, when Jack and Kate meet with Sawyer and Miles in the jungle, Jack says he is going after the chopper. Sawyer replies by telling Jack he sounds "like a broken record" and "he already did the run-through-the-jungle-with-a-walkie plan." This is actually post time jump Sawyer, attempting to change events with the chopper, albeit unsuccesfully.

Perpetual Events Theory Edit

The events on the Island, both that we've seen, and are yet to see, have been taking place for thousands of years, if not more. It is the same cycle of events over and over. When a person takes over the Island, as Locke did, he/she is made to relive all of the events that will ever happen on the Island. This is the reason that Ben seems to know everything that happens on the Island. When the previous leader, who we assume to be Widmore, moved the Island, Ben went through the same time jumping that Locke is going through. He saw all of the events on the Island, from the Black Rock, to the crash, to the aftermath of his move. When he finally became "restuck" in time, he was back where he started. He was able to use all of the information he had accumulated to make the decisions we'd seen him make. Since Ben knows what is "supposed" to happen on the Island, and as a result becomes a course corrector. In turn, he has to take certain actions, and make certain decisions in order to keep the Island events consistent.

Certain events, such as a science team with military accompanyment, have happened over and over. The men encountered by Sawyer and Juliet are an "earlier" version of Keamy and his team. Rousseau and her science team are an "earlier" version of the Freighter Folk. These people are not the same, persay, but have similar qualities to each other. Everytime one of these groups of people land on the Island, the Island chooses what will happen to them. This is done by the Smoke Monster, the final safety valve in the course correction process. For example, when Keamy shoots Alex, Ben says that Keamy "broke the rules." That is because Ben has seen this situation happen before, with different results. When Keamy kills Alex, Ben knows that the Smoke Monster must be used to course correct the situation to keep events (O6 leaving, Ben turning the wheel, etc) in motion.

Time is a Street Theory Edit

• As per Daniel Farraday, time is a street. According to Dan, one is unable to change their past or their future. Events that have already happened will always happen, while events that are yet to happen will always find a way of happening.

This being said, the Island has the ability to offer a fork in the road. When a person arrives on the Island, they are basically given a choice in life. They are presented over and over with situations that mirror decisions made in their pre-Island life. For example, Sayid, a former torturer, has been given the opportunity to torture or not torture multiple times - he has chosen his former profession all of them.

John Locke, on the other hand, has rejected his former self at every turn while on the Island. He has finally accepted his life, and as a result the Island "saved" him. Jack, though, fought against everything the Island wanted and refused to change. When Jack left the Island, it is like he took a detour on the "street of time." He skipped events that were supposed to happen. As a result, everything he has done since, per Daniel, has failed.

This all relates back to the one core of the show, the flashbacks and flashforwards. In reality, these flashforwards are not just plot devices, but are the jumping of consciousness. Each flashback/forward relates to on-Island events. The on-Island events are a way of making the character relive his/her past, and learn from it. The flashforwards were the Islands way of course correcting the characters from leaving, but were unsuccesful.

The Millennium Theory Edit

The Island is acting much like the time travelers in the 1989 film, Millennium. The time travelers are seizing people that are part of disasters (namely plane crashes) and replacing them with future copies of themselves. The time travelers are choosing people who will have no further, lasting contribution to society that would cause a paradox. In the future the time travelers are returning from, each plane crash was marked by a plane full of pre-burned bodies, thus eliminating the paradox of the plane being full of real people. This directly mirrors when Oceanic 815 was found in the Sunda Trench. The Island, then, is claiming people that were meant to be dead, and using them as its own. The reason the O6 lie, and the reason Ben and Locke has different names away from the Island is to avoid a paradoxal situation from happening. For example, if "John Locke" existed and died in a timeline, he could not survive post-crash away from the Island without effecting the very esscence of time. For this reason, he has assumed moniker of Jeremey Bentham. If the Island's true actions are ever revealed to the general public, a complete tear in time will be the eventual result.