I just saw the new episode, and I think it answers this question - OR DOES IT?

Come on you guys are killing me!!!! Ihave 33 minutes until it starts!!!!!

So are the hatches all useless?

The Orientation Film for the Pearl station says that as long as everyone in the other stations thinks that their job is most important, then the experiment will go well.

So the hatches are to keep people isolated and have them do mindless tasks all for the sake of observing human behavior?

In that case... we have devolved to mere lab rats.

Interesting, no?

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"To be a genius is to be misunderstood..." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Well, based on this and other theories I have read in these pages...

I think the Others are all working for the Hanso foundation, obviously and they believe their work on the island is very very important to mankind. However, the others are human, and they won't live forever; they are going to need new people to take over their work. I believe that there are other Hanso operatives working, in the real world, to choose likely candidates to take over both the experiements AND the observing jobs. I think that the crash survivors who are considered the "good" ones will take over the jobs of the observers (hence, Henry coming for Locke) while the bad ones are supposed to take over as the button pushers and erstwhile lab rats, etc. I think all the coincidences between the crash survivors is due to them all being gathered, prior to the crash, to be on that plane and get on that island. I also think that the "others" are each assigned to a survivor, and when they convince that "survivor" to take over for them, they will be allowed to leave the island and return to civilization.

hmmm?

As I mentioned in Theories yesterday, I think the Swan is actually doing important work. In the Orientation it said that originally the Swan was for some kind of magnetic research, but then there was an incident and in response to that the button pushing began. I believe they are the only functioning bunker left and they are holding back something, some kind of evil force that would prefer if they didn't push the button.

What was said in the Pearl video was true - about most of the bunkers - but the Swan's purpose changed and so I believe Eko. There is a good reason to keep doing it, and God help them if they stop!