The ultimate Star Wars and philosophy : you must unlearn what you have learned

337 Pages·2015·7.38 MB·English

by  Jason T. Eberl

YOU MUST UNLEARN
WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
BLACKWELL PHILOSOPHY AND POP CULTURE SERIES
This book has not been approved, licensed, or sponsored by any entity or person involved in creating
or producing Star Wars products or works.

THE ULTIMATE
STAR WARS AND
PHILOSOPHY
TheBlackwellPhilosophyandPopCultureSeries
SerieseditorWilliamIrwin
Aspoonfulofsugarhelpsthemedicinegodown,andahealthyhelpingofpopularcultureclearsthecobwebs
fromKant.Philosophyhashadapublicrelationsproblemforafewcenturiesnow.Thisseriesaimstochange
that,showingthatphilosophyisrelevanttoyourlife–andnotjustforansweringthebigquestionslike“Tobeor
nottobe?”butforansweringthelittlequestions:“TowatchornottowatchSouthPark?”Thinkingdeeplyabout
TV,movies,andmusicdoesn’tmakeyoua“completeidiot.”Infact,itmightmakeyouaphilosopher,someone
whobelievestheunexaminedlifeisnotworthlivingandtheunexaminedcartoonisnotworthwatching.
Alreadypublishedintheseries:
24andPhilosophy:TheWorldAccordingtoJack TheHungerGamesandPhilosophy:ACritiqueof
EditedbyJenniferHartWeed,RichardBrianDavis,and PureTreason
RonaldWeed EditedbyGeorgeDunnandNicolasMichaud
30RockandPhilosophy:WeWanttoGotoThere InceptionandPhilosophy:BecauseIt’sNeverJusta
EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski Dream
AliceinWonderlandandPhilosophy:Curiouserand EditedbyDavidJohnson
Curiouser IronManandPhilosophy:FacingtheStarkReality
EditedbyRichardBrianDavis EditedbyMarkD.White
ArrestedDevelopmentandPhilosophy:They’ve LostandPhilosophy:TheIslandHasItsReasons
MadeaHugeMistake EditedbySharonM.Kaye
EditedbyKristopherPhillipsandJ.JeremyWisnewski MadMenandPhilosophy:NothingIsasItSeems
AvatarandPhilosophy:LearningtoSee EditedbyJamesSouthandRodCarveth
EditedbyGeorgeA.Dunn MetallicaandPhilosophy:ACrashCourseinBrain
TheAvengersandPhilosophy:Earth’sMightiest Surgery
Thinkers EditedbyWilliamIrwin
EditedbyMarkD.White TheOfficeandPhilosophy:Scenesfromthe
BatmanandPhilosophy:TheDarkKnightoftheSoul UnfinishedLife
EditedbyMarkD.WhiteandRobertArp EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski
BattlestarGalacticaandPhilosophy:Knowledge SonsofAnarchyandPhilosophy:BrainsBefore
HereBeginsOutThere Bullets
EditedbyJasonT.Eberl EditedbyGeorgeA.DunnandJasonT.Eberl
TheBigBangTheoryandPhilosophy:Rock,Paper, SouthParkandPhilosophy:YouKnow,ILearned
Scissors,Aristotle,Locke SomethingToday
EditedbyDeanKowalski EditedbyRobertArp
TheBigLebowskiandPhilosophy:KeepingYour Spider-ManandPhilosophy:TheWebofInquiry
MindLimberwithAbidingWisdom EditedbyJonathanSanford
EditedbyPeterS.Fosl SupermanandPhilosophy:WhatWouldtheManof
BioShockandPhilosophy:IrrationalGame,Rational SteelDo?
Book EditedbyMarkD.White
EditedbyLukeCuddy SupernaturalandPhilosophy:Metaphysicsand
BlackSabbathandPhilosophy:MasteringReality Monsters...forIdjits
EditedbyWilliamIrwin EditedbyGalenForesman
TheDailyShowandPhilosophy:MomentsofZenin TerminatorandPhilosophy:I’llBeBack,ThereforeI
theArtofFakeNews Am
EditedbyJasonHolt EditedbyRichardBrownandKevinDecker
DowntonAbbeyandPhilosophy:TheTruthIs TrueBloodandPhilosophy:WeWannaThinkBad
NeitherHerenorThere ThingswithYou
EditedbyMarkD.White EditedbyGeorgeDunnandRebeccaHousel
Dungeons&DragonsandPhilosophy:Readand TwilightandPhilosophy:Vampires,Vegetarians,and
GainAdvantageonAllWisdomChecks thePursuitofImmortality
EditedbyChristopherRobichaud EditedbyRebeccaHouselandJ.JeremyWisnewski
Ender’sGameandPhilosophy:TheLogicGateis TheUltimateDailyShowandPhilosophy:More
Down MomentsofZen,MoreMomentsofIndecision
EditedbyKevinS.Decker Theory
FamilyGuyandPhilosophy:ACureforthePetarded EditedbyJasonHolt
EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski TheUltimateHarryPotterandPhilosophy:
FinalFantasyandPhilosophy:TheUltimate HogwartsforMuggles
Walkthrough EditedbyGregoryBassham
EditedbyJasonP.BlahutaandMichelS.Beaulieu TheUltimateLostandPhilosophy:ThinkTogether,
GameofThronesandPhilosophy:LogicCutsDeeper DieAlone
ThanSwords EditedbySharonKaye
EditedbyHenryJacoby TheUltimateSouthParkandPhilosophy:Respect
TheGirlWiththeDragonTattooandPhilosophy: MyPhilosophah!
EverythingIsFire EditedbyRobertArpandKevinS.Decker
EditedbyEricBronson TheUltimateStarWarsandPhilosophy:YouMust
GreenLanternandPhilosophy:NoEvilShallEscape UnlearnWhatYouHaveLearned
ThisBook EditedbyJasonT.EberlandKevinS.Decker
EditedbyJaneDrydenandMarkD.White VeronicaMarsandPhilosophy
HeroesandPhilosophy:BuytheBook,Savethe EditedbyGeorgeA.Dunn
World TheWalkingDeadandPhilosophy:Shotgun.
EditedbyDavidKyleJohnson Machete.Reason.
TheHobbitandPhilosophy:ForWhenYou’veLost EditedbyChristopherRobichaud
YourDwarves,YourWizard,andYourWay WatchmenandPhilosophy:ARorschachTest
EditedbyGregoryBasshamandEricBronson EditedbyMarkD.White
HouseandPhilosophy:EverybodyLies X-MenandPhilosophy:AstonishingInsightand
EditedbyHenryJacoby UncannyArgumentintheMutantX-Verse
EditedbyRebeccaHouselandJ.JeremyWisnewski
THE ULTIMATE
STAR WARS AND
PHILOSOPHY
YOU MUST UNLEARN WHAT
YOU HAVE LEARNED
Edited by
Jason T. Eberl
and
Kevin S. Decker
Thiseditionfirstpublished2016
©2016JohnWiley&SonsLtd
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TheultimateStarWarsandphilosophy:youmustunlearnwhatyouhavelearned/Editedby
JasonT.EberlandKevinS.Decker.
pagescm–(Blackwellphilosophyandpopcultureseries)
Includesindex.
ISBN978-1-119-03806-1(pbk.)
1.StarWarsfilms. 2.Philosophyinmotionpictures. 3.Philosophyinliterature. I.Eberl,
JasonT.,editor. II.Decker,KevinS.,editor. III.Series:Blackwellphilosophyandpopculture
series.
PN1995.9.S695U462015
791.43′75–dc23 2015012933
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
Setin10.5/13ptSabonLTStdbyAptaraInc.,NewDelhi,India
1 2016
Contents
From the Journal of the Whills ...
Acknowledgments:LegacyoftheForce ix
Introduction:“TheCircleIsNowComplete” 1
I ThePhilosophicalMenace 5
1 ThePlatonicParadoxofDarthPlagueis:HowCoulda
SithLordBeWise? 7
TerranceMacMullan
2 “YouAreAskingMetoBeRational”:StoicPhilosophy
andtheJediOrder 20
MattHummel
3 TheJediKnightsofFaith:Anakin,Luke,andSøren
(Kierkegaard) 31
WilliamA.Lindenmuth
4 AnakinandAchilles:ScarsofNihilism 42
DonAdams
5 DarkTimes:TheEndoftheRepublicandtheBeginningof
ChinesePhilosophy 53
KevinS.Decker
v
vi CONTENTS
II AttackoftheMorals 65
6 ChasingKevinSmith:WasItImmoralfortheRebel
AlliancetoDestroyDeathStarII? 67
CharlesC.Camosy
7 TheBalladofBobaFett:MercenaryAgencyand
AmoralisminWar 79
DavidLaRocca
8 HowGuiltyIsJarJarBinks? 90
NicolasMichaud
9 “KnowtheDarkSide”:ATheodicyoftheForce 100
JasonT.Eberl
III RevengeoftheAlliance 115
10 “LikeMyFatherbeforeMe”:LossandRedemptionof
FatherhoodinStarWars 117
CharlesTaliaferroandAnnikaBeck
11 TheFriendsofaJedi:Friendship,Family,andCivicDuty
inaGalaxyatWar 127
GregLittmann
12 LightSide,DarkSide,andSwitchingSides:Loyaltyand
BetrayalinStarWars 136
DanielMalloy
13 GuardiansandTyrantsintheRepublicsofStarWarsand
Plato 148
AdamBarkmanandKyleAlkema
IV ANewHermeneutic 159
14 PregnantPadme´ andSlaveLeia:StarWars’Female
RoleModels 161
ColeBowman
15 DocileBodiesandaViscousForce:FearoftheFleshin
ReturnoftheJedi 172
JenniferL.McMahon
CONTENTS vii
16 OfBattleDroidsandZilloBeasts:MoralStatusintheStar
WarsGalaxy 183
JamesM.Okapal
V MetaphysicsStrikesBack 193
17 WhytheForceMustHaveaDarkSide 195
GeorgeA.Dunn
18 WhatIsItLiketoBeaJedi?ALifeintheForce 208
MarekMcGann
19 “NeverTellMetheOdds”:AnInquiryConcerningJedi
Understanding 219
AndrewZimmermanJones
VI ReturnoftheNon-Human 229
20 MindlessPhilosophersandOverweightGlobsofGrease:
AreDroidsCapableofThought? 231
DanBurkett
21 CanChewieSpeak?WittgensteinandthePhilosophyof
Language 240
RhiannonGrantandMyfanwyReynolds
22 CantheZilloBeastStrikeBack?Cloning,De-extinction,
andtheSpeciesProblem 250
LeonardFinkelman
VII TheFandomAwakens 261
23 “InThatTime ... ”inaGalaxyFar,FarAway:Epic
Myth-UnderstandingsandMyth-AppropriationinStar
Wars 263
JohnThompson
24 StarWars,Emotions,andtheParadoxofFiction 274
LanceBelluomini
viii CONTENTS
25 TheMindofBlueSnaggletooth:TheIntentionalStance,
VintageStarWarsActionFigures,andtheOriginsof
Religion 287
DennisKnepp
26 Gospel,Gossip,andGhent:HowShouldWeUnderstand
theNewStarWars? 296
RoyT.CookandNathanKellen
Contributors:Troopersofthe501stLegion 308
Index 317