Valenzetti Island (theory)

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The Valenzetti Island theory isn't so much a theory as a pulling together of all the information we have thus far gathered from Lost and the Lost Experience. In order to fully appreciate this theory, the author strongly advises readers to first watch the Sri Lanka video in full (no matter how confusing you may find it).

1 What We Learn
2 What Can Be Inferred
3 Pros
4 Cons

What We Learn

The Sri Lanka Video tells us that stations were built on the Island to research the Valenzetti Equation, including the Swan and the Pearl (as their logos were shown in the video). It also tells us that core principles to the Equation are the Numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. The Hanso Foundation does not know what these numbers mean, but they are key to the equation, and understanding them will in turn cause understanding of how to change the equation itself (which predicts when the end of the world will occur).

We also learn that a radio tower was built on the Island broadcasting the Numbers, and would continue to until a factor was changed through the research of DHARMA Initiative staff.

Finally, we see Thomas Werner Mittelwerk (leader of the Foundation in the Lost Experience in Alvar Hanso's absence) discuss taking "radical action", and killing innocent civilians to then keep their bodies for research purposes.

What Can Be Inferred

From this, it would seem that the Island itself was purely used for solving the Valenzetti Equation. Why they used the Island itself seems most likely to do with its electromagnetic properties. If the Island was somehow magnetically hidden then it would make for an excellent research facility, particularly if the Hanso Foundation wanted to carry out illegal forms of research into areas such as genetics etc. Furthermore, the blast door map seen in Season 2 references the Black Rock and Magnus Hanso. We know Magnus owned the Black Rock, and so perhaps he crashed on the Island. In turn, Alvar could have searched for the body of his missing grandfather (perhaps even to please his father, connecting to the theme of parental issues) and discovered the secret island.

Going back to the research on the Island, we should note Mittelwerk's words in the Sri Lanka video - "we all know what happened, the DHARMA Initiative failed...So now, we must take radical action". He then goes onto describing killing villagers with some kind of infection (possibly the sickness), and genetically examining them after death. Perhaps, therefore, the DHARMA Initiative did a similar act on the Island during the 1970s, though in a more controlled way. They most likely used experiments etc, but perhaps did not resort to the measures Mittelwerk is employing (i.e. killing hundreds of innocent people).

The DHARMA Initiative was perhaps shut down due to the failure to change the Equation by their means, and also due to events such as "the sickness" breaking out and spreading all over the Island, or because of "the incident" or "malfunction of the Cerberus system" (see blast door map). Perhaps the Foundation were not expecting some natural occurrences on the Island, like the electromagnetism (possibly to do with the incident itself), or the Hostiles themselves, and left when they realized the Island had natural properties making it inappropriate to research on, or similarly due to the nature of the indigenous inhabitants. A lack of funding is certainly not an issue, as Hanso seemed adamant in the Sri Lanka video about "unlimited funds and access".

The Others could possibly have, as Rousseau surmised, been the "carriers" of the sickness, ending the purge by killing almost all DHARMA workers. Consequently, the DHARMA Initiative ended, as did its program to research the Valenzetti equation. At such time, the Others could have adopted working on the equation themselves.

Thomas Mittelwerk could himself be a former Other, transferring his extremist ideas of killing for the greater good off the Island. The Others, therefore, are still perhaps trying to solve the Valenzetti Equation, using whatever means necessary for the good of the world. This could explain why they have kidnapped some of the Islanders. Perhaps they have taken those who share their attitudes of 100 lives being greater than 10. Children of course would be an easy target, as they have yet to form their beliefs and values, and so are vulnerable to teaching by the Others in their own morality.

Thus, the Island itself is still a research facility that, though abandoned by the Hanso Foundation, still houses renegade or "hostile" scientists who wish to continue their work in order to solve the doomsday equation.

Pros

It is the ONLY theory which adequately explains the prevalent appearances of the numbers!
Explains why the others seem to think of themselves as "The good guys". By working to resolve the Valenzetti equation, or alternately by resisting any changes to the natural order, they see themselves as agents of positive and justified change.
Fits in information gathered from the Lost Experience nicely into the show storyline.
Supports speculation that Benjamin Linus murmured "we're scientists" in the episode "Two for the Road".
Here is a subset theory: The island's unique properties either have resulted in or result from "Bilocation" and exist as a non-collapsed waveform. Essentially the Island itself is a quantum computer attempting to resolve and modify the Valenzetti equation solutions. This explains many of the strange phenomenon which often involve people apparently existing in multiple simultaneous locations. The Island is isolated because any attempt to navigate to it falls victim to the islands own Heisenberg uncertainty of location. The island was therefore specifically chosen as the location from which to modify the Valenzetti equation since equations which cannot be solved in a traditional linear or no co-locational environment CAN be solved in the special case of the island since it exists in a non determined quantum state. (think Bistromathics from Douglas Adams combined with Quantum theory)
If the Island exists in order to provide a location for defeating the Valenzetti equation then the forces producing the equation may have a "resistance" to change which produces effects such as the bizarre coincidences, the monster, and even the arrival of the losties.
'Unlimited funding and access' is agreeable with Miles asking Ben for $3.2million for him to lie about Ben, giving him originally two days to come up with the money.

Cons

Does not satisfactorily explain mysteries like the "Monster", the statue, or the sickness, brushing them aside with passing theoretical comments.
- Counter Theory: Keeping in mind that each variable in the Valenzetti equation represents a real element of the world or society, it is likely that the sickness was the result of experiments in trying to curb significant environmental factors like population. This theory of the origin of a disease, if not the sickness itself, is supported by Mittlewerk's comments on the Sri Lanka video.
Also does not discuss "the Island before DHARMA" - something the writers have addressed as important - simply stating the Island has some "strange natural properties" without thorough elaboration.
- Counter Theory: If the Valenzetti equation involves physical factors, such as the environment then it may be that the island plays some sort of crucial role. If this is the case then the Island can be assumed to have had a pivotal role in the past, for example, being the location for an ancient splinter of the human genome ( a variation of human the way that humans are a variation from our own ancestors, Evolution is a tree not a linear progression).
- Perhaps the Island has always had those properties and, like The Black Pearl, other navigators had reached its shores. The sandal in the statue shows some relation to an ancient culture with sailors that may have drifted to the Island like Desmond did and built the statue. The four toes might come from a misconstruction of it, a characteristic of those sailors or even their depicting style of the human form.