Dharma and The Numbers
As many of you know we now have finally receieved some answers to some of Losts big questions in some unanticipated ways care of The Lost Experience. TLE revealed what Dharma means, Alvar Hanso, what Hurley’s numbers mean and gave us a new Dharma video. So lets get right into it…
Dharma is an acronym, and it stands for the Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications. Now, I am not exactly sure how important that is going to be to the show and its story line but we shall see. TLE also revealed the meaning behind 4 8 15 16 23 42. The meaning of the numbers (as they are so commonly referred to) goes like this the Numbers are from he Valenzetti’s Equation and they represent Egyptian hieroglyphics with each "Glyph" being assigned a numeric value. Now the Valenzetti’s Equation deals with a timetable of humanity’s extinction. So the Dharma Initiative was created to find a solution to this. Since the Dharma Initiative failed The Hanso Foundations Thomas Mittlework is trying to release a virus that will wipe out 30% of the worlds population. Does this mean what Henry Gale said was a true? Are they indeed the good guys? Are they trying to save humanity? Now this development makes me want to read the Valenzetti’s Equation by Gary Troup; and I hope the producers feel the need to publish it soon. How ironic is it that Gary Troup wrote a book about the Valenzetti Equation and died when his plane crashed on one of the many islands Dharma was working on?
You can see Alvar in all his greatness at this link.
“They represent Egyptian hieroglyphics with each ‘Glyph’ being assigned a numeric value.”
Where did we learn this? It’s entirely possible I missed it but I don’t recall this bit.
“Does this mean what Henry Gale said was a true? Are they indeed the good guys? Are they trying to save humanity?”
That’s assuming Henry and the Others are part of the DHARMA initiative. We don’t really know who they are or if they’re connected to the DHARMA folks yet.
Comment by Bunny Suction — September 18, 2006 @ 9:36 pm
The Egyptian hieroglyphics thing is from a recent TV Guide article and not TLE itself. What’s with TTS not citing sources?
Comment by Richard Lennox — September 18, 2006 @ 10:04 pm
So. Poorly. Written.
Not to talk crap about Brinson’s noble efforts, but to anyone who hasn’t been following TLE all summer, the little summary there is pretty much clear as mud.
Comment by Meconium — September 19, 2006 @ 5:13 am
Ok, seeing all of these new “explanations” going around for what Dharma is and the numbers have to do with the show I believe can be true but also I doubt. For example, the “monster” that is still floating around the island in which we don’t have a clue what its purpose is or where it comes from. this black smoke of something kills people and almost had Locke pulled down into a hole. Also, in the last episode we see a statue of a foot with 4 toes. So I don’t think we should just jump to conclusions. Besides, the fragments of video could just be a distraction from the show.
Comment by Chris Zeien — September 19, 2006 @ 5:22 am
To Chris Zeien watch the video it’s not “fragments of video could just be a distraction from the show” it’s an official LOST Expereince video. If you were part of it you had to collect parts of the video by typing in codes from the sites that the producers made and edit the video yourself. One of the codes was on one of the producers wrists that was put there.
Comment by AR — September 19, 2006 @ 6:53 am
Judging from the ‘Wisk Detergent’ painting (which works great kids!) that shows up under the black light on the walls during lockdown, i believe that the heroin in the statues contains little ants that will destroy the world if the black monster (no racial semantics there) dont let mr. world tour and jack ensemenate the azn. chick while the multi millionaire eats some corn chips…
okay, if it gets that crazy this season, i quit watching. otherwise damon and folks bring it on!!!! ive been doing some reasearch and have determined the heiroglyphics shown do not literally translate egyptian script. whether this be on dramatical merit or whatever but the true glyphs can be found here http://www.eyelid.co.uk/numbers.htm
enjoy and g’day
Comment by Preston Hall — September 19, 2006 @ 9:46 am
I saw the Sri Lanka video, and it sounds to me exactly like
the Orientation videos (in fact it’s an Orientation video for the
Others) when we discover that the narrator is telling lies all
the time in order to encover the truth.
I mean that both Pearl-Orientation and Swan-Orientation explain
a task for the residents that represent different objectives for
Mitelwerk/s interests.
And if the equation Valenzetti was a hoax, used by Alvar/Mittelwerk
to make people believe that they have all the rights to practice
forbidden and amoral medical experiences over patients ?
Don’t you forget that Alvar Hanso was a weapon manufacturer ?
They are giving the people they send to the island the moral
approbation to make what ? a letal virus, and a vaccine to control it.
It could be the way to send an ultimatum to the world.
Comment by Casimir — September 19, 2006 @ 11:14 am
I haven’t followed the TLE at all and I am just passing th word along fellas. The Numbers are from the Valenzetti’s Equation, can that be any more clear? They represent the end of the world. Is that better? Now it is very possible that what I wrote was cluttered and confusing, but at the time I was writing I was trying to fill in all the facts so anyone who read it would have all the info from all the sources. I forgot to list Sci Fi Wire and TV Guide thats my bad.
Comment by Brinson — September 19, 2006 @ 1:07 pm
Brinson,
“The Numbers are from the Valenzetti’s Equation” is a very inefficient explanation. “They represent the end of the world” is equally vague. HOW do they represent the end of the world? What the hell is a ‘Valenzetti Equation”?!
You’re assuming that most people know what the hell you’re talking about (and to be fair, most people reading this site probably already know anyway). The rest of us have NO IDEA what you’re trying to explain.
Comment by Meconium — September 19, 2006 @ 4:49 pm
I have a feeling that none of this stuff is going to matter on the show, TPTB said that the history of the Island goes beyond the Dharma Initiative (as showcased by the four-toed statue, Adam and Eve, and the Black Rock). I bet the reason why they wrote Bad Twin and came out with the Lost Experience was so they could tell the unfinished story of the Hanso Foundation and fill in the blanks about the Widmores and Dharma that they don’t plan on explaining through the narrative of the show.
I hope this is true, because I have had about as much mythology as I can stomach. Let’s hope Cartlon’s promises for season 3 will come true, that it will be more on the character-axis again and less on the mythology.
Comment by Nathaniel White — September 19, 2006 @ 5:31 pm
There is a little missing from the explaination. I thought the velenzeti equation is the equation that determines the end of the world in months and days. (from lostpedia) It has been revealed in the Lost Experience that these six numbers are the core values of the Valenzetti Equation. The purpose of the DHARMA Initiative is to change the factors leading to humanity’s demise, which will be indicated by an alteration in at least one of these numbers. However, the DHARMA Initiative still, supposedly to this day, do not know exactly what the numbers mean.
The Dharma Initiative was set up to explore how to change any one of the numbers, as they figured that by altering any of the numbers they can stop the world from ending. In the Sri Lanka vidoe Alvar mentions that they represent (if I heard correctly) human factions or something like that. DHARMA apparently failed. Tom Mittlewerk steps in and takes the everything in a new bold direction, as he feels the only way to save the world is by killing off 30% of it’s inhabitants (hopefully starting with Paris Hilton..ha ha). This way, he believes will alter one of the numbers…thus saving the world. Of course there is no proof this will work, thus making his work seem suspect and a bit misguided.
Comment by downthehatch — September 19, 2006 @ 5:41 pm
Thanks downthehatch… that sums it up perfectly.
Comment by Bunny Suction — September 19, 2006 @ 6:08 pm
Meconium, I know just as much as you do in regards to this subject. If I knew more too it I would have posted it and I would have explained more. DowntheHatch answered it smashingly! if there any questions left please revert them to DowntheHatch. He seems to have it figured out perfectly. Listen, I know the post wasn’t the best and I don’t like it anymore than you guys do so I am sory about it. Now get over it! I am not one of the producers for crying out loud. I am just a guy trying ot pass information along.
Comment by Brinson — September 19, 2006 @ 6:37 pm
Okay, maybe I missed something big, but I don’t think that Mittlewerk is being honest to his scientists. My theory is that when he says “the DI failed” he really means that he lost control over them. He obviously isn’t privy to exactly what is going on the island, nor does he have the support of anyone who knkows where it is (i.e. Alvar) or he wouldn’t have to sneak around trying to research where it is. The island is still getting supplies, I’m guessing from Alvar et.al. Mittlewerk probably had too much control over the Hanso Foundation, and he and Alvar had a falling out, so Alvar had to break off and keep up the project which he saw as the utmost important in secret. Therefore, officially the project failed and was cancelled in the 80’s (or whenever they said it happened), but unofficially it is continuing on under a reorganized management. When Henry says we’re the good guys, he means that they aren’t with the Hanso Foundation, and are still trying to accomplish what was set forth in the original training video we saw. However, Mittlewerk’s motives I think are less altruistic, thus forcing Alvar to break off.
Comment by qwerty99 — September 19, 2006 @ 7:34 pm
to qwerty99 - I’m not so sure of your assumptions. Alvar left Hanso and was missing for a long time(I don’t know if he has been found through the game). I think he and Mittlewerk didn’t see eye to eye in regards to DI and how it was going about trying to accomplish the task of changing the numbers (or one of them at least). Tom was already at the top of the food chain at Hanso and merely took over when Alvar disappeared. When he says DI failed…I think he was refering to how Alvar was going about things (and not getting results).
I still think the DI is going on, but with a different agenda (probably NOT involving the island as they are already starting to spread diseases) and a different leader at the top. As to who the others are and why they are on the island is a different story all together. If the two were intrinsically tied, they would have to incorporate it into the show. Actually I think that the Others are the left over scientists that are just dealing with an incident that happened to the island a while back and they are trying to fix something. I no longer think that they are working on the initiative anymore.
Comment by downthehatch — September 19, 2006 @ 9:09 pm
Just remember that since the show exsists as a piece of fiction inside the universe of the game, Henry et al do not exsist in relation to the game. This Dharma, what it stands for, etc etc is a different organization than what we see in the show. Damn these confusing metafictional things..
Comment by docarzt — September 19, 2006 @ 9:16 pm
the numbers add up to 108, that’s it. the book by gary troup is fictional gary troup is fictional. This is a TV show
Comment by tv remote — September 20, 2006 @ 1:48 pm
A very confusing show at times.
Comment by Brinson — September 20, 2006 @ 2:04 pm
downthehatch, you have some good points, but that still doesn’t answer why is Mettlewerk searching for the island?
Comment by qwerty99 — September 20, 2006 @ 9:22 pm
Thanks Doc for the reminder. I often forget that TLE was supposed to actually happen in this world, hence the alternate reality part of ARG. Now if we can also remember the LOST producers were yelled at in reality by an in-game charcter at a convention for working with Hanso. Is LOST supposed to be pro-Hanso organization? That would be very wierd… Also I think that a lot of this information wil be incorporated into the tv show. This game may have just forwarded the information before it actually surfaced. Wow…very confuddling…
Comment by Ian — September 21, 2006 @ 1:49 am
If the numbers add up to 108 and the numbers reset the clock in the hatch then would different numbers reset the clock to a different number of minutes?
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