Light and Dark
Honors Introduction to Philosophy Final Essay (Part Two of Two)
6 December 2016. 1258 words; 2544 total words.
C.G. Brooks
Opening
Crawl
In my last blog post, Reason Confronts Passion, I
discussed the age-old argument debating upon which mindset is better suited for
us as a society and as individuals: driven by logic or emotion. I used the lens
of Star Wars to make it a bit more palatable for myself and for the readers, so
I will use the same lens here, though on different philosophical issues. . .
“Pray I
don’t alter it any further.”
The expanded universe of Star
Wars, now known as Legends, includes the fan-made content that became the
decorations for the foundation the original trilogy set. Fallen Jedi and users
of both sides of the Force are only a comic or novel away, loosening the definition of right and
wrong for Force users and the average galactic Joe. Of course, Jedi and Sith
are the poster boys for good and evil, but the balance between them is often
the chief struggle of some Legendary settings and the protagonists themselves.
When the prequel trilogy was added to the saga, we realized how out-of-balance
the Force was. A temple full of Jedi believed there were no Sith left, only the
occasional being who stumbled upon the seduction of the Dark Side (note that
just because one uses the dark side or the light, it does not make one a Sith
or Jedi, respectively; this was heavily misinterpreted by the fans after
viewing the most recent installment to the saga, The Force Awakens).
The Jedi sought peace and
harmony, yet also a balance in the Force. Their use of the Light Side would,
therefore, constitute usage of the dark somewhere in the galaxy. The Jedi may
have believed that their moral decisions were balanced by natural occurrences. Two
types of evil are distinguished by philosophers: natural and moral evil. Moral
evil is the result of a sentient creature’s choice to create evil, such as when
Darth Vader slaughtered the Free Ryloth terrorists at the beginning of Paul S. Kemp’s
novel Lords of the Sith. Natural evil is facilitated
by non-sentient choices or events, such as a sandstorm on Tatooine or when the Sando Aqua
Monster on Naboo ate
the Colo Claw Fish that was pursuing Qui-gon, Obi-wan, and Jar Jar.
I believe if the Jedi truly
believed in a balanced Force without Sith to oppose them, they must have
reasoned that natural evil would tip the scales towards the Dark Side. The Jedi
would then use moral good to maintain balance of the Force. Anakin Skywalker,
Qui-gon believed, was the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force. By
joining the Sith and wiping out most of the Jedi, Anakin, then Darth Vader, did
bring the Force, in terms of good and evil, back near balance. Two Sith, Vader
and Sidious, were matched by two Jedi, Obi-wan and Yoda. We now know there were
surviving Jedi roaming throughout the galaxy, but perhaps those users of the
Light Side also evened out the moral evil being wrought by the Galactic Empire.
By the time the original trilogy
begins we currently know of only one other living Force user beyond the four mentioned above, who
was introduced in The Force Awakens.
When Darth Vader is converted away from the dark and kills his master, that
leaves two beings in the known galaxy trained in the ways of the Force. Luke
Skywalker, a practitioner of the Light Side, and Snoke, a master of the Dark
Side. For this reason, I believe that Anakin Skywalker did bring the Force as
close to balance as it had been in the now canonical story line.
Many years of galactic democracy
and an order of Jedi were wiped out and replaced with an empire much farther on
the scale to quickly realign that aspect of the delicate balance. While the
republic was only mildly good, the Empire is wholeheartedly evil. Two Sith and
a user of the dark are then matched with two Jedi and a destined user of the
light. While the Jedi may have believed in moral good, Anakin’s moral evil is
what actually brings the galaxy back to balance.
“I wish
that were so.”
Even though a ‘chosen one’ may
seem far-fetched in the determination of galaxy-wide balance, a similar point
of view can be observed by the Manichees. Saint Augustine spent most of his
early life with this Christian sect who believed two Platonic views of evil.
First, evil is chiefly located within the body, and second, evil is a necessary
aspect of existence. While Plato believed the origin of evil is the material of
the universe itself, the Manichees, like Qui-gon, believed that the will of a
single person can determine the existence of evil.
When George Lucas originally
envisioned the Emperor, he saw him as evil incarnate. Darth Vader became evil whereas Darth Sidious (the
Emperor) represents evil itself. If the Emperor is seen as a personification of
the Dark Side of the Force and is therefore also responsible for all the lesser
evils throughout the galaxy, Darth Sidious would be seen as a true Manichean
evil. Augustine disbelieved this point of view and instead trusted in one
supremely good God, the creator of all things, good, bad, and everything in
between. Because of this take on God, and assuming the evil Emperor Palpatine
is in fact not the manifestation of evil itself, Augustine would argue that
Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and all other sources of evil converted
themselves to evil through free will. They are responsible for their own falls,
whether it be a Sith Lord’s fall to evil or a smuggler’s fall to villainy.
“It is
your Destiny.”
According to the Christian faith,
pride is one of the original sins. Pride motivates those to do things they are
not entitled to and to desire more than they deserve. Pride is a driving force for
Anakin as well as many evil-doers throughout the galaxy far, far away as well
as here on Earth. Augustine was particularly fascinated with the idea self-inflicted
bad decisions. The Manichean may claim that Anakin fell to the Dark Side
because Palpatine twisted him towards the dark; however, the older Augustine realized
that this point of view means that no one is responsible for their own actions.
Anakin freely chose to turn to the Dark Side, albeit after some rough life
events.
Why then does the original
trilogy end with Darth Vader acknowledging the errors in his ways? What makes
this fall to the dark so much worse than remaining in the light? I believe our
need for closure, and the desire for the classic Hollywood ending, is what
makes the (momentary) ending of the Star Wars Saga feel great, though not
accurate. We know that with Luke comes light and with light comes dark and with
dark comes Snoke, and eventually Kylo Ren. In the real world most people, if not all, want that
Hollywood-style happy ending for themselves, though our definitions may vary. Regardless
of the logic and reasoning that our happy ending cannot be the ultimate end, we
instead simply hope that the light shines through the dark long enough for us
to get our fill.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
If you want more philosophical
connections to Star Wars check out this book.
Also, this novel is great for anyone who loves Sci-Phi and/or the implications of some great
movies.
To read about the Christian God as a gamer, check
out this blog post.
And if you’re struggling with the acceptance of
your inevitable death, read this blog post.
Funny, how Hollywood got to lay proprietary claim to good and happy endings - as though it invented or bought the copyright to virtue and rectitude. What would Plato and Augustine say about that?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links. May the force be with you.