DHARMA was inolved in pure scientific experiments, but they were also investigating human psychology and society in order to find, in their words a means to world peace. The island was meant, among other things, to be a living experiment in human society dynamics. Of course, they got into more than what they had bargained for. They knew that the island was special, just how much they know, I don't know. But I believe DHARMA still exists, possibly under another name to the outside world. Richard is very high up in DHARMA I believe. They have the ability to cure cancer, so they could also have age arresting drugs as well. They let Ben have his reign in order to just observe and see what would happen without further involvement. I don't know why the purge was deemed as being necessary. Richard was one of the ones that recruited Julieanne, the pharmaceutical company whose name I can't recall being of course another DHARMA front. DHARMA may in itself be a front for a larger, more sinister organization using promises of world peace and bettering humanity to sucker people in.
So they have the means to make it appear as though the plane crashed in the ocean with no survivors. The dynamic of the island had gotten too "stale" for them with Ben in charge, so they decide to inject some new life and a new society to the island and observe how they deal with the inhabitants and vice versa. Ben has gotten out of hand for them, they hadn't realized the power he weilds through his knowledge gained of the island while he's been living there, but they're begining to get it. I don't know who or what Jacob is, he is the x-factor, maybe no one really understands who or what he is. But they do know they have to take out Ben, so they send in a strike force, including Neal, who has certain sensitivities to metaphysical dimensions. So they know there is a connection between the island and the "spirit world", but I don't know how much DHARMA understands about this.
Oceanic is now out of business (check out their website, it's a gem for fans) having served it's purpose. The bald black guy who organized the team and also visited Hurley as a rep. of Oceanic solidified this theory for me.
There may also be a split in the DHARMA group going on outside of the island, which explains why the mission had to be covert, now George Whatshisface is not available to take their radio calls, but he seemed really interested in what was going on before he realized that the team had essentially failed with Naomi's death.

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I'm still mad that they killed off Mr.Eko

i agree that oceanic is fronting for dharma. i think when frank lapidus called the hotline and was patched through to the manager, he got matthew abbadon on the phone (the black guy who visited hurley)

Here's the different groups that I think are involved:

- The original inhabitants - the ones who built the "foot" statue.
- The Black Rock people - who I believe washed ashore
- The original Dharma group - Richard's people who I think eventually found out secrets about the island that made them suspect Dharma's true purpose and they eventually rebelled (the Hostiles).
- The second Dharma group - the group that Ben and his father joined. This group was made up of people who understood Dharma's purpose, and some who didn't (like Ben's father) and were simply there to follow orders.
- The third group - made up of Ben and Richard's people. They began recruiting people from off the island (like Juliette).
- A team of scientists - Danielle's people of which only she and her daughter Alex survived.
- I think there is some kind of relationship (but I don't know who knows about who) between Dharma, the Widmore Group (but not Penny), Oceanic Airlines, and the latest group (Freighter People).

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Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.

Not true. The guy on the phone did not say his name, and did not sound like Matthew.

Lost posted some photos of the Dharma logo on the plane. How bout them apples. More photos at the thread here: Dharma Logo on the Plane!

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That being said, I do think that Oceanic could be controlled by Widmore, or Paik (Heavy Industries) or Hanso, under the evil Thomas Mittelwerk.

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`Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!'

-- Alice, from “Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland”

I don't think that DHARMA is the top of the organization but I do think that all of these mentioned above are connected. It's all some huge conspiracy and the DHARMA we know from the island was just one of the branches. I think that no one is free from this and every action that is taken to oppose any part of the group is countered with tighter control. The purge that Ben took against the DHARMA inhabitants was possibly just a test. He felt he was taking control while really he was just being given a set of instructions to see how easily he minds. I think that he does try throughout his life to counter these folks but I'm not sure how much of what he does is actually serving them. As clued in as Ben is, the conspiracy goes far beyond any one individual.

HANSO funded Dharma..Dharma also was experimenting with the paranormal which could include many different projects


"The Hanso Foundation is a fictional foundation in the Lost television series. It was formed by arms purveyor Alvar Hanso, who turned his attention from "keeping the world safe through the development of sophisticated weapons systems" to focus instead on the development of new technologies to "create a brighter future for all humanity." Nearly all information about the Foundation is drawn from its Web site, thehansofoundation.org, with further background revealed as part of the alternate reality game, the Lost Experience.

The Hanso Foundation, through its funding of the DHARMA Initiative, was involved in the construction of facilities on the island depicted in Lost."



Hanso Foundation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Statement from Alvar Hanso:" The path of secrecy is a slippery slope......"




The Hanso Foundation

the ' slippery slope" anology is often used in politics.

selling arms is as american as well.....
and who helps sell arms ???
why the politicians of course by arranging these lucrative deals

The LOST writers have done their homework in literature including sci fi .. sociology..politics medical science ect...

it seems alot like the plot line to the Matrix films, a hero figure/group are fighting another group and working the way throught the puzzle of he is good and who is bad, and working their way up the power ladder to the top ( the architect at the end of the 3rd film ).
Much like Mr anderson in the Matrix, or losties are cought up in the middle of a war between different fractions/ groups. They are finding out pieces of the puzzle as they go and slowly working their way up the power ladder and getting more answers.

It's all a basic story of good vs evil and our losties caught in the middle of this war over the island.