interesting theory that Sawyer brought him there. Sawyer was definitely facing his demons last night.
As far as Cooper being the smoke monster, I honestly believe the Others are afraid of Smokey and don't know what it's all about. Smokey is connected to the island and he's out to judge and weed out it's inhabitants. I think Cooper got there just like everyone else, he was hit on purpose, drugged on purpose, and transported, thinking he is dead. Of course he thought Locke died on a plane, the whole world believes they were all dead.
This is my take on it as well. As Ben said, the magic box is just a metaphor. I think what he is talking about is the fact that the Others are well connected and can make things happen, on the Island or off. For them, the seemingly impossible is easily accomplished. They can heal your sister's cancer. They can find a man from your past that you could never track down and lay him right at your feet. They can find out things about your past that you think nobody else can possibly know. He's talking about the power to make things happen, not some sort of magic.
It may appear miraculous, but only because of the level of influence it would take to make it physically happen. Obviously the Others and their associates have that level of influence.
I think the box as a metaphor just means there is no box. Metaphors are just ways of explaining something in different terms.
Main Entry: met·a·phor
Pronunciation: 'me-t&-"for also -f&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English methaphor, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French metaphore, from Latin metaphora, from Greek, from metapherein to transfer, from meta- + pherein to bear -- more at BEAR
1 : a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money)
Besides, comms are down so the idea of being very well connected isn't working anymore. I think there is something akin to magic going on. We keep seeing Stephen Hawkins book and phrases like 'only fools are enslaved by space and time'.
Back to the original thread. This phrase has bothered more than almost any other line in the episode. I figure it is one of two things... either Ben is messing with Locke, pushing emotional buttons and all or there is some truth to it.
If there is some truth to it then you have to ask, is it just the island? or can people 'connected' to the island invoke it (closer to the box metaphor). So maybe, Locke's desire to ensure his father 'couldn't get him' actually triggered Cooper being brought???
To me people have only come to this island in one of two ways, they were brought or they crashed there (possibly still having been brought on some mystical level or whatever). So to me, the only thing that makes sense is that Ben sent someone like Richard to go get him and they can do that through what might appear as magical since they are not enslaved by space and time but what really has some explanation in quantum physics or psuedo-science.
