You've written a lot about LOST dealing with faith and reason, but not much about its nature v. nurture argument. what do you think about that?I have not talked about it because after the first season, the show did not, either. It was only during the first season the Lostaways were really roughing it like plane crash survivors would. In the second season, they had the hatch and a mysterious food drop. By the third, they had discovered the barracks with all its amenities. Eventually, environmental concerns became less important to the plot.
If I am reading your question right, you want to know whether I think the Lostaways were corrupted by society and fond redemption as noble savages or became corrupted y their island experiences.
The writers seemed to believe the former. Jacob claimed to have brought them from unhappy lives in the civilized world for a purpose on the island. We are supposed to think their behavior there, which involved lots of cold blooded murder, served as redemption for some characters 9Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Locke, and Juliet among others.) while condemning others for the same type behavior. (Michael and Ana-Lucia.) If there was any logic to it, I missed it. Lost was written by atheists to have a spiritual ending, so my expectations were low as to how thought out the resolution would be.
Personally speaking, I do not buy into the noble savage concept. Man has a sinful nature that must be resisted. So it is the nurture part that is more important in how one behaves. Civilization is a hot meal and a good night’s sleep away from total barbarism.
The corrupt, sinful nature is a constant among everyone. It is the nurturing that is different. Nurturing is how other people treat you ad how you react to that treatment which determines exactly how much of your corrupt nature gets to run on a long leash.
I will even drop my usual cynicism and say experiencing bad treatment does not necessarily produce bad people. Yes, there is a good chance if one was abused as a child, one will grow up to be an abuser, too, in order to gain “revenge” for pain suffering, but the abused child experience also be a lesson on what not do. I am not a psychologist, so someone else with better knowledge should feel free to chime in with better insight. I am speaking from the personal experience of watching alcoholic family members destroy themselves resulting in a nearly complete disinterest in alcohol on my part.
The uncertainty of how one’s treatment will affect one’s attitude must be why there is still an eternal debate over the issue. I will not be able to resolve it in a blog post within the context of a television show or otherwise.
