I’ve often said there’s nothing more useless than a Philosophy major (which is why I only have a minor). But when it comes to Lost, viewers who know their philosophers have a distinct advantage. In the opening scene of the finale, we learned that the man in the coffin was Jeremy Bentham. Though it took me about 15 minutes to make the connection, the Philosophy majors most likely identified that name immediately as belonging to the famous utilitarian philosopher.

The historic Jeremy Bentham was a proponent of the greater good, someone who believed the ends justified the means. Combine this love for ignoring individual liberties in favor of the bigger picture with the knowledge that the character was named directly after a famous philosopher and you quickly realize that if you only majored in Philosophy in college, you would have known long before that final scene that John Locke was in the coffin.

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