Knowing the Dark Side
Ever since Obi-Wan Kenobi first introduced the concept of “the Force” to Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, fans have pondered and debated its nature: what exactly is the Force? Why does it have two sides? How are the “light” and “dark” sides related to each other? As is well known, George Lucas invented the Force as a fictional stand-in for the diversity of spiritual metaphysics found in Western and Eastern philosophical and religious worldviews.
The depersonalized Chinese concept fits the side of the Force described by Obi-Wan as “an energy field” that Jedi, Sith, and other Force-sensitive beings are able to channel through their minds and bodies to accomplish extraordinary mental and physical feats—such as telekinesis and manipulating the weak minded.
The Force, however, is also like a personal God that it purportedly has a will. Jedi Knights and Masters expend a great deal of time in meditative contemplation attempting to discern the will of the Force for how their individual lives, as well as galactic-scale events, should unfold. Such as the prophecy referring to Anakin Skywalker, as the “Chosen One” who “will bring balance to the Force.”
When it comes to freely willed actions for which individuals can be held morally accountable, it isn’t only humans like Anakin, Luke, you or me who may be subject to moral evaluation. If there’s a God—or a Force—responsible for willing the universe’s unfolding physically and historically, we can also question the sort of moral code such a being is bound by, and whether there are justified reasons for allowing—or, perhaps what may be even worse, willing—horrendous evils that afflict millions of innocent sufferers, from the Holocaust on Earth to the destruction of Alderaan. This concern –known as the problem of evil—raises two kinds of serious doubts about an all-powerful, all-knowing divine being. If evil exists, could such a being exist? And if such a being does exist, should we praise it as essentially good?
Learn more by reading the new book, “The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy.”