In all my sci fi/supernatural watching experience, I don't recall of a single story where a ghost also has the ability to predict the future. Granted, my experience might be more limited than most, but I'm still curious... how would Charlie's off Island ghost know that Jack would visit Hurley the next day? I can understand if he was manipulating Hurley into not taking his meds, knowing Jack was his emergency contact/known as a friend of Hurley's at Santa Rosa... but I think it was clearly implied dead-but-here-Charlie knew Jack would show up.

Does anyone have any experience with fiction and prescient ghosts who can predict the future?

A Christmal Carol, by Chales Dickes, per example.

There is a ghost ("Ghost of the Future") who take Ebenezer Scrooge into his future.

In all my sci fi/supernatural watching experience, I don't recall of a single story where a ghost also has the ability to predict the future. Granted, my experience might be more limited than most, but I'm still curious... how would Charlie's off Island ghost know that Jack would visit Hurley the next day? I can understand if he was manipulating Hurley into not taking his meds, knowing Jack was his emergency contact/known as a friend of Hurley's at Santa Rosa... but I think it was clearly implied dead-but-here-Charlie knew Jack would show up.

Does anyone have any experience with fiction and prescient ghosts who can predict the future?


A sixth66 sense?

Does anyone have any experience with fiction and prescient ghosts who can predict the future?


I'm still up in the air about what the various ghost-like phenomena really are, or by what rules they play. I didn't interpret Charlie's message as being a prediction--I interpreted it as Charlie knowing that Christian planned to visit Jack. I suppose this would mean that Charlie and Christian are aware of each other, or they are both manifestations of the same thing. But it's interesting to think of the prediction (i.e; knowledge of the future) aspect.

Charlie and Christian are not ghosts. They are the island itself. IN other words, they were the same 'person'...
But in case they are really their ghosts...Well, ghosts might not be slaved to time and space. They don't perceive time like we do....

Charlie and Christian are not ghosts. They are the island itself. IN other words, they were the same 'person'...

This is my working theory, but if history is any indication, I'm wrong about this.

But in case they are really their ghosts...Well, ghosts might not be slaved to time and space. They don't perceive time like we do.... That makes me wonder what the purpose of their appearances would be--if they know or predict accurately the future, then why hang around and, say, tell Hurley he has to go back to the island. I assume Hurley will be shown to go back to the island--and if the ghosts knew he would, why bother appearing? I suppose a case could be made that a ghost could see a future in which Hurley does not return to the island, and act to make it that he does. Confusing.

In Dante's Inferno, the ghosts in hell can predict the future.

In Dante's Inferno, the ghosts in hell can predict the future.

Dammit, I knew that one but I guess I was limiting my brain search to pop culture.

Indeed, I can't see the point behind omiscience of these spirits so for now I'd rather have Charlie and Christian coordinate their haunting schedules.

i think that christian and charlie are spirits of the island itself, as fierro stated, but that they are appearing to their loved ones in forms that said loved ones would accept. for example, christian's form would not appear to hurley, cuz hurley didn't know christian. but charlie was hurley's best buddy on the island, therefore he would appear to hurley

Ghosts wouldn't know the future, but a mirror-twin might remember it.

I love Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody books. Peabody's friend Abdullah visits her in dreams to issue predictions and warnings. She's always peeved that he's not as specific as she'd like him to be. (She's a very no-nonsense type.)

This is a very good question and speaks to whether Charlie and Christian are really Charlie and Christian or just the island taking their form. I think that's one of the biggest questions I have about the show. Remember Charlie's appearance at the mental hospital,he seemed really like himself. But Walt and Christian and Yemi seemed stiff-like, except for Christian in the mobisode with Vincent.

If they were ghosts then that would imply they are soul-driven by the deceased they portray. If they are corporeal apparitions then they could be controlled by the island.

What I wonder is why Kate has not been haunted yet. It would seem that returning Aaron to the island would be a major island issue, and Kate has so much history, there are plenty of people she could be haunted by. Why is she safe? Maybe her mind-fudging has just not been shown yet. At any rate, very good question OP.

In the film "Fanny and Alexander" the ghost of the father seemed to know or "to read" the dark clouds on the horizon.
Traditionally, ghosts are either trapped in the past, confusedly repeating the same actions over and over unaware of the passage of time, or they have been released from the passage of time and are now conscious of the past and future.