While "Man of Science, Man of Faith" alludes to a quote in the previous episode where Locke describes himself as a man of faith and Jack as a man of science, writer Damon Lindelof stated that the episode has the title to imply that Jack is both, with the flashback making the empiricist "man of science" facing a miracle while treating a patient. The episode was written to focus on the opening of the hatch, so the other cliffhanger left in "Exodus", the destruction of Michael's boat and the kidnapping of his son Walt by the Others, would be explained in the second episode, "Adrift". The cliffhanger also influenced the tone: the protagonists are expecting an attack by the Others, but the audience knows the Others are not coming since they were going for the boat instead.