Well that could be one line of thinking. Or, you could imagine an island in the middle of nowhere that has been inhabited by survivors of a shipwreck for hundreds of years. They live quietly and they live for a very long time due to the mystical properties of the island. Then along come enthusiastic researchers, looking to do cutting edge research. Research that would not be accepted by the norm of society. They conduct experiments with the wildlife on the island. They build, they put up fences, maybe even create a "smoke monster" accidently. It seems as though Richard does not age.... do you think that scientists wouldn't want to experiment on a human that is not aging? Maybe they would even round them up like guinea pigs to study. Bottom line is, most likely Dharma was intrusive at best. Even peaceful people will defend what is theirs. I am not saying that is how it was, but...I think it is definitely in the realm of possibility. Bottom line, we only really saw the "workmen" in Bens flashback. We never really saw what Dharma was up to. If you watch last nights episode again, watch Richards face as Ben speaks of taking all the women and killing the men. He was mortified. Every human is capable of violence. But there are a few who actually take pleasure in it......like Ben. I do not question Richards capacity to commit violence, obviously he can and has. But I am saying that the evidence is that he takes no pleasure in it.