Echoes of the Übermensch

From time immemorial it seems that humans have harbored the desire to feel special in some way, from the monotheistic religious view of human beings as the pinnacle of creation and human activity as the focus of the entire universe, to the desire to be recognized, acknowledged or otherwise validated by our fellow human beings.

Additionally, it seems that we humans have tended to see patterns in, and impute intentions to, phenomena we encounter in the world. Meteorological happenings were the tantrums of the gods. Aberrantly acting animals were the spirits of dead ancestors; or worse - the machinations of powerful spiritual enemies.

Coincidence is revealed to be synchronicity. Chance is the manifestation of Fate. The invisible guiding hand never ceases. Everything happens for a reason. It takes faith to see what can't be seen; faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.[*]

And so with this we come to John Locke....



Although Locke does not seem traditionally religious, his view of misfortune and calamity is consonant with that of more traditional faiths; that is, those who see such experiences as trials of faith that purge us of dross and leave our characters strengthened and shining brilliantly. Life is all about such trials, they say, and the teleology of life itself is the perpetual refinement of one's being, leading to moral or spiritual perfection - if not in this life, then in some other life to come. It is the process of being put through our paces by a power greater and wiser than ourselves. It requires tremendous faith to acquiesce to such a process when the Power in question is intangible at best and unknowable at worst.

John Locke has certainly had his share of tribulation and disappointment. He was conned out of his kidney - and subsequently defenestrated - by a trusted familial figure; he was rejected by possibly the only woman he's ever gotten close to and loved; he was duped and betrayed by his surrogate family at the commune; and he's worked in menial jobs for condescending bosses who are, as Rilke would say, "raised to the rank of Prince by the slippery ease of their light judgments."

It's amazing that Locke remains a man of faith through all of this. Or maybe it's not; we've all heard of victims of horrendous disasters and grotesque injustices who nevertheless thank God for saving their lives, and then claim that their ordeal just serves to strengthen their faith. In fact, Locke comes through all of this with a certain moxie, forcefully declaring, "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

Locke seems to assert or affirm his life despite his defeats. And upon crashing on the island, Locke seems to have been born anew; he seems to have traversed the furnace of fire, emerging a resplendent kernel of molten metal. In Locke, we can hear echoes of Nietzsche's Übermensch.

Nietzsche's philosophy was basically an Existentialist one, in that he believed there was no "possibility of finding values in an intelligible heaven", to quote Sartre. He argued that the absence of moral absolutes or objective values leads to fatalism, nihilism, and pessimism, but that humanity is left with no choice but to overcome these defeatist attitudes. Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch is of a person who is able to overcome nihilism by three methods: rejecting or rebelling against prevailing societal ideals or moral codes; re-evaluating these old ideals and creating new ones; and by a general process of self-overcoming.

The on-island Locke could be said to have created, or be in the process of creating, both himself and his adopted 'society' anew. He has evolved into a type of unassuming guru, guiding and coaching other Lostaways into awareness of their own innate potentialities and special destinies. So he could be said to creating new ideals for the on-island society, as well as refashioning his own self into an image he could only fantasize about in his pre-island life. At times he even embodies the destructive aspect of Nietzsche's Übermensch: he tried to prevent Sayid from using the transceiver to locate and access the mysterious distress signal, resorting to physical force; he knocked Boone unconscious and drugged him in an attempt to help him overcome his attachment to his sister; he smashed the Swan Station computer (albeit in a moment of doubt); he blew up the Flame Station and (apparently) the Others' submarine; and he killed Naomi as she was about to contact her ship.

But while Nietzsche's world-view could be said to be emphatically secular, Locke certainly doesn't seem to discount the supernatural or other-worldly. In fact, on the island he seems to embrace it, even though he's had his bouts of doubt. The supreme act of courage - or authenticity, one might say - in Nietzsche's view is to base one's entire life in this world. In his view, the ultimate Übermensch is one who can take ultimate responsibility for oneself, conceiving and accepting reality as it is, in all its horror and grandeur. Locke has never seemed to be able to do this, instead relying on 'faith' in some hidden power or guiding force. However, certain events on the island - most notably his ability to walk after being paralyzed - serve to reinforce his faith in the unseen. But the island seems to be categorically different from this world; it seems to be a 'special place'.

Will Locke's experiences on the island ultimately be justified, providing at last that certainty of what is unseen? Will his faith be finally validated and rewarded? Will we see the actualization of the innate human longing for meaning, purpose and specialness?

Well, that remains to be seen...







[In the next post, I will be focusing on Jack, and comparing and contrasting both Jack and Locke, as well as teasing out a little more of the echoes of Nietzsche's philosophy.]








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