#jediliving

[peacefulearthwarrior]

There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force.

The Jedi Code

[kotorswtor]

So I recently got into a war with a community over the Ethics of the Jedi Mind Trick. I say it is an unethical technique, but one used by Jedi to avoid loss of life or at least to avoid using the lightsaber (use of force) to resolve the situation (lesser of two evils type thing). I value and enjoy your thoughts and opinion on Jedi topics. So, views on the Jedi Mind Trick Technique?

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I enjoy thinking about and discussing Jedi stuff, and I’m glad that other people get something out of that!

Oh, man. Where to even start? I’m gonna run off at the mouth a little here. If I say something that doesn’t make sense, ask me to back up and explain.

When we talk about an action being inherently, in itself unethical, and both the intent and the consequences being irrelevant to that determination, that’s called moral absolutism. It assumes we’re working in a system of normative ethics that has room for that. Divine Command (e.g the Ten Commandments) and Kantian deontology would be a couple of good textbook example of ones that do.

We actually have surprisingly little canonical straight-talk on the nuts and bolts of how and why Jedi (corporately) do ethical reasoning, because “Boring, let’s lightsaber fight!” That said, I tend to doubt that moral absolutism is a thing for them. “Only Sith deal in-”, et cetera.

What we do have for Jedi ethics (the Code) tends to be mostly virtue-ethical, i.e. the focus is not on the morality of actions, intent, or consequences, but on the self/character, and the question of how one lives the best life. The historical stuff about the development of the Je’daii in DotJ seems to back that up. Both of them describe cultivating the self such that one has greatest possible capacity to work harmoniously with the [light side of the] Force. Okay, but the obvious question is “Work to do what? For what/whom?”

Here’s where we get waaaaaaay into head-canonical territory, and you can feel free to ignore me. When I’m looking to resolve questions like that, my first stop tends to be the Buddhist source material that Lucas worked with. I tend to answer the what/why question as “Work to remediate sentient suffering. Because being plugged into the Force means you have the unavoidable realization that all of the evident separations between yourself and other beings are illusory, and as such, any suffering is your suffering and you naturally want to address it.

It’s pretty easy to imagine that turning into an axiology where the highest value is refraining from causing suffering, and everything pivots around that. Broadly, something similar to the Hindu/Buddhist/Jain concept of Ahimsa.

So. Punchline time, in case you got bored and scrolled away from the rest:

If your greatest possible good is refraining from causing suffering, and you calculate everything relative to that, the Mind Trick is preferable to lethal means for conflict resolution, end of story. My headcanon-y sense of how it works (which anyone is, again, totally free to disagree with) is that the potential for harm in Mind Tricks is located entirely in their propensity to spawn unintended, possibly grievously-injurious or lethal consequences. Because those are a thing, the Mind Trick should be a Jedi’s last non-lethal resort.

[kotorswtor]

Star Wars Tales #13 Children of the Force might be a good place to start for Jedi and kidnapping. Mace's background is mostly in Shatterpoint (novel) to my understanding. Maybe something in Star Wars: Republic: Show of Force. A good one on Jedi defecting is Star Wars: Jedi: Mace Windu. But doesn't touch on his origins if I recall correctly.

Thanks for the recs!  I’m gonna second the recommendation of Tales 13: Children of the Force in particular.

[californiajedi]

So, you found us. Perhaps you saw Force Awakens and went hunting for people who saw something substantive in the Star Wars mythos. Or maybe you saw a puff piece about “The Jedi Religion”. Whatever brought you here, you are most welcome.

Although many (but not all) of us are Star Wars fans, being a Jedi isn’t just about occasionally dressing up or having fun with light sabers. A Jedi is someone who through their own will and spirit strives to be a stronger, better, and more helpful person to the world. “Utilizing the truth in fiction”, we strive to follow a path inspired by the fictional Jedi in Star Wars in our real lives.

Here is a roundup of our best posts on what it means to be a Jedi, and how to get there. Also feel free to check out our FAQs, Resources, and About sections. Our contact form is always open for questions, concerns, or advice. May the Force be with you!

What Does it Mean to Be a Jedi?

I Just Wanna Be A Jedi

Why Jedi?

“Make it Better.”

The Jedi Code