fisking Lucas's moral universe, part II(a)

Without doubt, volumes have been written on the metaphysics of Lucas's galaxy far, far away. A pity: for in the end, there's no there there, just a mishmash of ideas lifted from Eastern—mostly Chinese—religious traditions, spiced up with enough emphasis on individuality to appeal to thoroughly Western audiences.

The most straightforward interpretation of the Force, with its Dark and Light attributes, is with the yin and yang of Chinese metaphysics, particularly as expressed in Taoism. Although yin and yang might seem at first glance analogous to good and evil in the Western monotheistic tradition, that ain't so: whereas we generally perceive good as stronger than evil—and that all will be made whole again in the Parousia—in Taoism yin and yang, though opposite, are coeval, complementary, and indeed interdependent.

Night and day, for example, are opposite, and are associated with yin and yang respectively. Yet night becomes day, and day night: one does not exist independently of the other. We might prefer day, (construed literally or metaphorically), but both exist, and will exist, regardless of our wishes.

Lucas usually associates the Light Side of the Force with good, and the Dark Side with evil, thereby setting forth another Taoist dualism. (Other interpretations are possible, such as the Light Side being civil and moral order, and hence the Dark being Hobbesian chaos.) But nowhere in the Star Wars movies is it ever suggested that the Dark Side will be forever vanquished: it just is. The Chosen One [When is there not a Chosen One?] was to bring the Force, in both its aspects, into “balance”, not eliminate one in favor of the other.

Lucas never describes what this “balance” might mean. This is wise, for any attempt at so doing would likely tie his metaphysics in knots. The Jedi unabashedly champion the Light Side, having been guardians of peace, etc., for a thousand years, etc. [Is it ever not a thousand years? And whose years, anyway?] Presumably, they wanted that state to continue, so why they would consider the Chosen One bringing said balance to be a good thing, I've no idea. Probably Lucas doesn't, either.

It's also worth noting that, up until the last battle in Revenge of the Sith, Lucas treats the Light/Dark dichotomy as ultimate. One trained in the Force is either on the Light Side, or the Dark, or traipsing down the road to the Dark (the one example in the mythology of moving the other way rings false, for reasons I'll take up later). So when Obi-wan answers Anakin's charge of betrayal with “Only a Sith thinks in absolutes” [Why are statements of relativism always given as absolutes?], Lucas has turned his metaphysics on its head—apparently for the sake of a trite political zinger.

Unless, that is, the Jedi turn out to be Straussian neocons, which would make Lucas a friggin' ironic genius. Which, of course, he isn't.

Next up: The Jedi as Shaolin, without all the inconvenient self-abnegation.

Taking pot-shots at the CINC is an age-old tradition, so I remain unbothered by it, but Lucas does it in such a boring and unchallenging way. It is sooo chic in Hollywood to like, bash the President and his cabal man.

Plus he lives in the Bay Area, so making sense is an option. I seriously met a guy in San Francisco the other day who described himself as an "Energy Guru." I figured that his dreds and splotchy, shaggy beard were dead giveaways that he didn't work for Exxon. The conversation ended when he said, "The universe is like this big energy container that you can realize through self-actualization."

Anyway, I still haven't seen this cultural phenomenon, yet I know my curiosity will win out

Actually, I read that little absolute truth irony a bit further in. During the duel, Kenobi declares "the Sith are evil!" But that, of course, is an absolute. To this, Anakin, the man who supposedly deals in absolutes, answers lamely, "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" A relativistic statement. Come on? No one could spot this in the script?

I was thinking on this the other day and concluded that the movies' philosophy is like swiss cheese. I look foward to your future installments.

Good call. I do remember the "Jedi are evil!" bit, as it was delivered in Anakin's trademark whine, but I'd forgotten just how screwed up the argument over absolutes really was.