Wed 20 Feb 2008
the elegant universe of lost
Posted by thejinius under lost
[2] Comments
Einstein believed there was one theory that could explain everything.
That one unified theory could explain everything from the grandness of the universe like stars and galaxies to the microscopic particles like electrons and quarks. He believed that the universe was not this extravagant labyrinth but an elegant fabric.
Um, yeah, I finally got around to watching The Elegant Universe.
My boyfriend at the time gave me the dvd as a birthday present a couple of years ago and it had just been sitting around in my apartment. Anyway, I figured I should watch it instead of another re-run of Everybody Loves Raymond.
So I started watching it last night and as Brian Green started explaining the ingredients of string theory, I couldn’t help but compare Einstein’s quest for a theory of everything to the show Lost.
Okay–don’t leave–there’s more!
Einstein spent the rest of his life trying to come up with this unified theory. One professor described Einstein as “one of those physicists who really wanted to understand the mind of god.”
And that just floored me.
Because that statement implies that there is a purpose behind the universe. That everything is connected. That the universe didn’t just develop out of chaos. But order.
Without getting into the whole science of it–because, frankly, I don’t really grasp anything beyond protons are positive and electrons are negative–string theory says that matter is composed of tiny, vibrating strings. And these vibrating strings ripple in the universe the same way a pebble thrown in a pond creates tiny waves.
If string theory is correct, that means that we could be living in one of eleven dimensions. That we’re just a slice of bread in a huge loaf of the universe. And that we are living next to other parallel universes–other slices of cosmic bread. That means my soul mate could be living in another dimension! Just lying in a gutter somewhere!
Okay, so what does this have to do with Lost?
Well, on a sci-fi level, Lost addresses issues on the possibilities of time travel and electro magnetic fields blah blah. But on a philosophical level, it shares a lot of elements with string theory.
Lost is one of those shows that you have to watch from the beginning. Yes, every show has its nuances and character arcs and many times you can just catch it mid-season and still get into it (hello, Gossip Girl). But Lost is all about the nuances. The tiny details make the show so profound.
The people crash onto this island. Who are they? Why are they here? What is their purpose? Why were they all on same plane together?
And as each episode unfolds, you learn that these disparate characters are all somehow connected. They are all part of this complex tapestry of life. And they all serve a purpose on being on the island and being with each other.
One of the main themes of the show is the battle between science and faith. And the episodes that are off the hook are the ones that show how science and faith converge. That life is not chaos. But ordered chaos.
String theory tries to reduce the universe to the tiny ingredients. And these tiny ingredients somehow choreograph the magnificence of the universe.
And with Lost, these seemingly benign characters are thrown into these bizarre situations to maintain some higher order. Something the viewers don’t know yet because the writers keep teasing us and giving us the television equivalent of blue balls!
I think they are on the island to prevent the zombie apocalypse.
Anyway, there’s a meaning in there somewhere. I need more coffee.
