The Variable Man

I am reading Philip K. Dick's novella "The Variable Man". Losties take note. Imagine my delight to discover that it is about a man who is dragged into the future, causing unexpected consequences. Faraday uses the term "variable" to describe a human being's ability to change the pre-ordained time line. Is this purely coincidental? A cursory examination of Lostipedia shows no references to Dick's use of the term, or to the novella itself. Lost DOES refer to Dick's uber-strange novel VALIS, about a computer becoming a god. Interesting!