Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine

Front Cover
Open Court, Apr 1, 2005 - Philosophy - 320 pages
The Star Wars films continue to revolutionize science fiction, creating new standards for cinematographic excellence, and permeating popular culture around the world. The films feature many complex themes ranging from good versus evil and moral development and corruption to religious faith and pragmatism, forgiveness and redemption, and many others.

The essays in this volume tackle the philosophical questions from these blockbuster films including: Was Anakin predestined to fall to the Dark Side? Are the Jedi truly role models of moral virtue? Why would the citizens and protectors of a democratic Republic allow it to descend into a tyrannical empire? Is Yoda a peaceful Zen master or a great warrior, or both? Why is there both a light and a dark side of the Force? Star Wars and Philosophy ponders the depths of these subjects and asks what it truly means to be mindful of the "living force."
 

Contents

William Irwin
The Force Is with You but Youre Not a Jedi
Yoda the Emperor and the Force
The Far East of Star Wars
Moral Ambiguity in a BlackandWhite Universe
The Aspiring Jedis Handbook of Virtue
Star Wars and
Environmental Ethics in Star Wars
Droids as Slaves and Persons
The Force as the Causal Power of the Jedi
Hegels Philosophy of Spirit Strikes Back
Star Wars and the Hegelian
Tyranny Democracy Republic
Flesh and Machine in Aristotle and
Lying Jedi Honest Sith and
Religious Pragmatism through the Eyes of Luke Skywalker

The Ethics of Future Wars
Heidegger and the Philosophy
Masters of the Jedi Council
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