I recently re-watched the Star Wars prequel series. While it leaves a lot to be desired from its predecessor Episodes I, II & III have unbelievable graphics and awesome lightsaber duals. Perhaps the most memorable battle from the whole Star Wars saga is when Obi-Wan Kenobi confronts a rampaging (and very red-eyed) Anakin Skywalker on the volcanic world of Mustafar. It seems an apt place to conclude the prequel and segue into the 1977 film A New Hope.
What is very interesting about this confrontation is the dialogue through-out the fight (I’ve got to be honest, the lightsaber battle starts getting a bit stupid when they fall into the volcanic river). While it is no drama scene, not since the father-son bonding in The Empire Strikes Back, (where Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker spend a pleasant afternoon bungee jumping off Cloud City and trying out arm amputations - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6sj89xgnl4) has there been a dialogue as powerful and revealing as the discourse between Anakin and Obi-Wan. See below:
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Anakin, in one of his regular fits of anger, blames his previous best friend, Obi-Wan, for turning his closet-wife against him. Thus generates some particularly eye-opening dialogue which I want to address. The first is Obi-Wan’s comment:
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“Only a sith deals in absolutes”. There are several things ironic about this statement. The first is that this statement is a logical fallacy in and of itself. For instance, the making of such a statement itself is an absolute statement (sith are the ONLY ONES who deal in absolutes). However, the hypocrisy doesn’t end there. Surely the Jedi, who are supposed to be "the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy" would be required to deal in absolutes. After all, comments like “you have become the very thing you swore to destroy”, “I have failed you Anakin, I have failed you” and “Emperor Palpatine is evil!”, all of which are uttered by Obi-Wan in this exchange, are objective comments (that is, remarks of absolutes).
This divide, between relative morality and objective morality is very much in play in our time and in this galaxy. Many people believe that morality is merely a construct of the human mind, thus we each subjectively find both meaning and morality within ourselves and from our culture. Because of this we should not impose our morality on others (a common relativist argument). As Greg Koukl states:
If relativism is true then there is no standard like that standing outside of us so there's no sense to the notion of justice or fairness. There's no accountability. Everybody does their own thing. There's no possibility of moral improvement or moral discourse, you can't even discuss things morally in an intelligent fashion because there's no better or worse morality in the context of relativism.
I think it is clear that the Jedi-way, as depicted in the Star Wars universe, is one of absolutes and not relativism. Mind you, it’s no wonder Obi-Wan is confused. What with him participating in a Buddhist-like cult. For instance, compare a Jedi to a Buddhist monk. We see such great similarities that one can only deduce that what is occurring is a misunderstanding of worldviews. A worldview like cosmic humanism (or Buddhism) does not lead to condemnation such as “Emperor Palpatine is evil!”. Only a God like the one who gave Moses the Ten Commandments has the power to ordain rules and distribute justice.
Also worth noting is Anakin’s philosophy. “I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new empire!”. Anakin believes that the ends justify the means. Because of his relativistic position he can rationalise using the “dark side of the force” for, what he deems, is the good of the empire. Many people rationalise their actions as Anakin does.
But Anakin’s actions go further than this. He ultimately makes a deal with the devil (i.e. Emperor Palpatine) in an attempt to save his wife. George Lucas has pointed to Faust, a German legend, as inspiration for this characteristic of Anakin Skywalker. The gist of this story is the man who has power desires more. Indeed this is what the Emperor offers Anakin:
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And there you have it again. Palpatine tells Anakin “good is a point of view”. George Lucas may not mean to associate relativism with Satan’s lies but it is unmistakable that this is the strongest lie in Palpatine’s arsenal (well, this and how he has the power to save Padme’s life).
By the end of Episode III Anakin has been transformed into a hate-filled monster where only his desires and ambitions drive him. Yet we shouldn’t be surprised. As Greg Koukl asserts in regards to relativism “[t]here's got to be something wrong with an allegedly moral point of view that produces a moral champion who has the moral substance of a sociopath”.
