Interesting.
I would say that it's almost as if Locke has been tested on every field..every belief system..be it science (the button/hatch), faith (commitment to the island, the loses his suffered, such as Boone), survival (being reborn as 'island Locke' after the hatch implosion..etc etc. It's no wonder Locke describes himself as an 'everyman'. One wonders whether he has gained this rounded persona due to the amount of times he's been reborn..or the amount of times the people before him have been reborn..
Which brings me on to Alpert and the knife - I think he was upset because someone (The island) told him that he was a "hunter"..whereas perhaps being the hunter didn't work (i.e. he ends up dead at the end of S4)..so perhaps Alpert wants this version of Locke (we have no idea of knowing 'which' loop or incarnation of Locke this was in the Cabin Fever flashback) to consult the rule book more (book of laws)..afterall, it was the changing of the rules, which undid Ben's stint on the island..or certainly hastened it.
