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An encyclopedic website based on ABC TV show LOST
 
Category: Island Triage
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Locke vs Rousseau
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Quote:
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Locke
~ Nurture: people aren't born "good" or "bad", they have a "tabula rasa"
~ Brains over brawn: Intellect will always win out over brute strength
~ State of Nature: Indivduals have "natural rights" and duties - their
duties include preserving those rights, and respecting the rights of
others, which requires the formation of government to ensure this.
Rousseau
~ Nature: people are born inherently good, but are corrupted by society
~ Brawn over brains: strength will win out over intellect
~ State of Nature: Individual have no "natural rights", but rather
must, through Social Contract, agree to certain responsibilities to the
society to gain certain rights within the society. Rousseau believed
that civilization corrupted man, and that he was best in a state of
nature, as the animals were.
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Relevance to LOST:
On LOST, Locke seems to believe that everyone can change, and counsels
the other castaways with advice to that effect (Charlie giving up his
addiction, Jack letting go and becoming a leader, Boone and Shannon
moving on from their unhealthy relationship), as if the island has
given them a clean slate (tabula rasa). We also see him using his
intellect on the island, from boar hunting, to building a trebuchet, to
making a cradle for Claire's baby.
Danielle Rousseau, on the other hand, remains secluded on the
island,even after meeting Sayid. She uses guns, traps, and explosives
to survive. She states that her team was "infected", but with one, we
don't know. Some speculate it might be the desire to form an organized
society, something Rousseau blamed for the corruption of man.
(This entry is subject to change upon revelation of newer, juicier information in the future.)
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