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Star Wars and Philosophy

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Star Wars and Philosophy Star Wars and Philosophy by Kevin S. Decker, Jason T. Eberl, William Irwin The Force Is with You... but You're Not a Jedi Yet Now this may shock you, but there's an arcane, little-known quotation, one rich in meaning, that appears in every Star Wars movie: "I've got a bad feeling about this." In each episode of George Lucas's "space opera," one of the main characters expresses this basic existential anxiety.1 It's an intuitive response to an undefined problem. Yet it has its root in the essentially philosophical thought that our relationship to the world is one of questioning. Questions sometimes emerge from wonder, sometimes from doubt. We stare up at the heavens, much as Luke did on Tatooine, and wonder about the extent of the universe, its origin, and its meaning. In a crisis of faith, much as Luke had when confronted by his parentage on Cloud City, we may doubt many of our firmly-held beliefs and preconceptions. We search our inner selves, as did Leia when Han was being lowered into the carbon- freezing chamber, and wonder about what it means to love or be virtuous. Sharing Han's skeptical worldly point of view, we may doubt that we have any existence as a mind or soul after our bodily processes are nullified by death. We comb through our junkyard, much as Watto constantly does, and wonder whether there are formulas describing the variances of the value character of the products of labor. But philosophy doesn't have a monopoly on wonder or doubt. You could be in a state of wonder reflecting upon the birth of your twin children, or while viewing the new piece of art on your favorite Hutt's wall. Similarly, you could be in doubt whether the modifications to your podracer are sufficient to allow you to be competitive in the Boonta Eve Race. In these cases, no philosophical questioning needs to occur. Philosophy begins with wonder but leads to thinking. The need to think things through, to change our mind and our environment, arises only because we get into sticky situations. Simple problems disclose their solutions almost immediately, like young Anakin's uncanny ability to fix machines. More difficult ones require us to search among alternatives for a solution: Should Obi-Wan tell Luke the truth about his father from the start or wait until he matures? Should Qui-Gon use Jedi "mind tricks" on Boss Nass to secure transport from the Gungan city? Philosophical problems are often distinguished by the fact that the problem itself is unclear-we need to settle certain things about the world and ourselves, sometimes at the deepest levels, before we can "blow this thing and go home." Now Star Wars doesn't wear its philosophy on its sleeve-it doesn't make clever allusions to Alice in Wonderland or the Kabbalah in an effort to jump-start the mind of the average viewer. Although these movies are primarily vehicles for action scenes and fantasy themes, they still involve characters reaching out and deeply within to solve problems that are significantly larger than themselves. In Star Wars, conflict is a constant, but it's not fighting in the "wars" of the title that spurs the development of the main characters' personalities-after all, "wars not make one great." Instead, it's the struggle to understand and overcome deep problems of identity, truth, freedom, and the tragic side of life that defines the rise, fall, and rise again of the Skywalker family and the impact they have on allies and enemies alike. Essentially, the Star Wars movies tell a simple story of tragedy, courage, and redemption. But under this simple guise the ageless questions of philosophy-many of which are examined in this book-derive new meaning when held against the background of its plot, colorful situations, and memorable characters. For example: * Are the virtues good because they are appreciated by the Jedi, or are they appreciated by the Jedi because they are good? (Plato) * Is Yoda a Jedi Master so great that a greater one can't be conceived of? (Anselm) * Can Anakin commit himself as a chaste, unattached Jedi Knight, but just not yet? (Augustine) * As absolute ruler of a galaxy-wide Empire, is it better to be loved or feared? (Machiavelli) * Am I a mind, a body, or an overweight glob of grease? (Descartes) * How do we know the sun will rise on Alderaan tomorrow, even if it has done so every day since the beginning of time? (Hume)3 * If Vader looks into the abyss, doesn't the abyss also look back into him? (Nietzsche) * Is hell other Sith lords? (Sartre) * Who's scruffy-lookin'? (Solo) Here, you'll encounter thoughtful and lively discussion of these questions, but not hard-and-fast answers to them-don't blame us, some of these questions have gone unanswered for over two thousand years! Judith Barad takes on the most ancient of these while exploring the virtues of the Jedi Order. Yoda is conceived of as a both a great Jedi Master and a wise Stoic sage by William Stephens. For Chris Brown, Anakin's fall and redemption may be unavoidable if evil is needed for good to exist. Emperor Palpatine, in the eyes of Kevin Decker, is the galaxy's most masterful practitioner of Machiavellian political arts. Robert Arp finds Descartes's question about mind and body just as intriguing to ask about C-3PO and R2- D2 as of ourselves, and Jerome Donnelly concurs that droids may be more "human" than the humans in Star Wars. While we know the answer to the Alderaan question, Jan-Erik Jones finds similar cocktail party discussions about expected cause-and-effect relationships still unresolved on our planet-just what makes gravity work anyway? Of course, Darth Vader's entire life is spent looking into the metaphorical abyss of darkness and evil, and occasionally into the literal abyss of space station reactor shafts; what this says about his moral character and capacity for redemption is the fascination of many in what follows. And while Sartre's question regards three strangers trapped in a room with "no exit" for all eternity, Brian Cameron notes that it takes only two Sith to dance the pas de deux Hegelian "dialectic" that leads to mutual self-destruction. These are by no means the only philosophical questions raised and addressed by our Force-sensitive contributors. Using nature and other sentient beings merely as means to one's own ends, valuing deception as a tool to bring about the greatest good, avoiding the dehumanizing influence of technology, finding the balance between love and duty, taking a leap of faith, and achieving the enlightened mind of "no mind" are also defining philosophical issues in Lucas's galaxy and our own. This book came together with Socrates's thought that wisdom, for humans as well as R5 droids, begins when we discover our own "bad motivators." The preceding questions and the issues they raise are deep and challenging, but thinking about them can be rewarding and even fun to those whose thinking is slightly more precise than a stormtrooper's aim. Consider this book a "Kessel Run" for your brain, and enjoy-you get bragging rights if you read the whole book in less than five parsecs! Part I "May The Force Be with You" The Philosophical Messages of Star Wars "You Cannot Escape Your Destiny" (Or Can You?): Freedom and Predestination in the Skywalker Family IASON T. EBERL In The Phantom Menace, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn brings a nine-year- old boy, recently released from slavery and separated from his mother, before the Jedi Council to ask that he be trained in the ways of the Force. When the Council refuses to permit the boy's training, Qui-Gon declares, "He is the Chosen One. You must see that." To which Master Yoda replies, "Clouded this boy's future is." The boy is, of course, Anakin Skywalker-the future Darth Vader-and his being "the Chosen One" is based on a Jedi prophecy that refers to Anakin "bringing balance to the Force." Approximately thirty-five years {Star Wars time) after this exchange, Anakin's son, Luke, has nearly completed his training to become a Jedi Knight. After the deaths of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, Luke will be the "last of the Jedi" and the "last hope" for the galaxy to be saved from the tyrannical power of the Dark Side of the Force exercised by Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Yoda tells Luke, however, that he will be a Jedi only if he faces Darth Vader in battle a second time (their first battle having ended badly for Luke and his extremities!) Luke balks at the idea of killing his own father. But the apparition of Obi- Wan responds, "You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again. " These scenes raise particularly interesting philosophical questions concerning freedom and moral responsibility.1 What does it mean for Anakin to be the Chosen One? Is it possible for him to fail to fulfill the prophecy? Is Anakin predestined to fall to the Dark Side and become Darth Vader? Must Luke unavoidably shoulder the burden of saving the galaxy? Or, does Anakin choose to ally himself with the Emperor? Could Luke have chosen to remain on Tatooine and live out his life tending his uncle's moisture farm instead of going with Obi-Wan? "Clouded This Boy's Future Is" Anakin Skywalker's destiny seems to have been set for him since before he was even born.
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