Philosophy of Star Wars: Part 1. The essence of Natural Law in the Code of the Sith.

The Sith Code, as written by Sorzus Syn and taught by Darth Bane1: Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. I. The Jedi Way. The Order of the Sith is the one of the two most powerful groups of people that can feel and understand the true or very close to the true- nature of the Force. By following a constant training program both physically and mentally throughout their whole lives, the Sith and the Jedi improve their potential skills, enhance their birth given gift of high ranked percentage of the midichlorian in their blood composition in order to gain an inner bond with the energy filed called the Force. The Jedi beliefs reveal that the Force is deeply understood as an inner and non materialistic bond among all living things, as Ben Kenobi said to Luke: (the Force is) an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.2 We would at first have to refer to these two basic and very important properties through which the Force is externalized: the status of surrounding and of penetrating. For all Jedi the Force is -in its true essence- an order that keeps united the whole Galaxy, it is something like the resultant balance between all individual living things. Therefore the reason and purpose the Force is around us in the meaning of enclosing is that of creating a connecting line in an inner therefore secret- bond. The enclosing around the Force field as a bond between one particular living thing, a human for example, with all other living things even if the distance is very close or
1 2

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Code_of_the_Sith#cite_note-BOS-0 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

far, far away...- enables the Galaxy to be capable of not collapsing by its own weight and also provides all living beings with the ability to be secured 3 only as long as they remain inside that filed of energy. Regarding the second characteristic status of the Force, that can be extended in the context of one using the Force energy field by ones free will. Of course, using the Force is neither tricks used only to fool the ignorant minds nor an illusion for the crowds pleasure, usage of the Force by someone can only be acquired throughout a constant training (both in body and mind) for the rest of ones live so that he (or she) can gain the knowledge of himself. By understanding yourself you can understand the Galaxy and the Force. But the Jedi Order working inside that particular cognitive context sets aside the other aspect of the Force; that kind of opposition leads most of the times the Jedi as far as fighting it. The Jedi code and tradition of using the Light Side of the Force in good a manner only to achieve noble acts and purposes4 does not contain the whole; and comprehensively the true essence of the Force, the existence of another even contrary- Side is not a lie. The Dark Side exists for its very true and secret purposes and reasons; therefore we can not be willingly blind not seeing them. That is the point at which Sith, keepers of the other side of knowledge, come forth to reveal a hidden aspect of the Force. II. The Code of the Sith. Darth Bane, a Sith legend and instructor of Korriban, bequeathed to the next generations the knowledge he discovered by investigating the Dark paths of the Force. The conclusions of his experiences remained for thousands of years as the core teachings of the Sith legacy in their Academy. The importance through philosophical analysis- of those short sentences is not an easy way to tell by a few words; so I find it necessary for me to examine one by one the sentences structure, logical form and
3

The meaning of the given above secured (referred to a living being) is that of the living being can remain alive even after its the death (of its material substance) as an Energy Spirit. The afterlife concept is familiar in Star Wars cosmos; examples of which are the spirit forms of Yoda, Kenobi, Anakin, Qui-Gon etc. 4 The Good and Evil is an ancient type of pair found in many different civilizations of world history, it consists the eternal struggle of the value of Virtue against Malice and of Life against Death. In that article the meaning of good and evil is taken not as something static, stable, or same for all logical beings, but is considered as something relativistic in time and place. Through that second point of view good and evil are referred in a neutral way of meaning.

semantic content in order to understand as possibly and deeply as I can the true meaning of those mottos. The first sentence of the Code begins with this: Peace is a lie, there is only passion; the very first thing to think is that the Sith beliefs are based on the opposition of the peace or in other words the Sith are against any Jedi value related to the Force bond. But namely what is the meaning of the concept of peace is a question that must be answered first so the continue is clearly. As mentioned above, the Jedi Order in general states that the only real purpose of the Force is to function in a way that is able to bring and sustain the balance among the Galaxy and all living beings. That also means the Force is an energy field which retains the order throughout the Galaxy and also restores back the peace when the balance is trembling or falling. Therefore, Galactic Peace is a state created by the Force to retain the universal bond among all living things. For the Sith that is not the truth meaning of the reality. As a lie, piece stays against the Jedi perception of binding and balancing the Galaxy together, for the Sith that is not the only way and so forth that understanding perspective does not lead to the truth. The passion, in the meaning of the inner natural instincts or natural impulses, is also the very true and biological characteristics of every living creature in the way that all of them are equally; more important natural passions are what allow these living beings to survive and remain able to live. So for a Sith thinker comes forth the question how can peace be the only truth; when struggle for survival and very often death is another equally real and true aspect of the reality? And that is a serious and important doubt. How can ppeace be the one and only true aspect of the Force? That is not acceptable real; I think that Darth Bane might have thought in that manner of way. If peace is not something natural: then it does not exists by itself, further more peace is not natural condition of the world but more of a contracted state between the members of a society. The thing means that the members of the human societies, or the Twi'leks, or Wookiees etc. and every other social living being agreed to live in an specific order or particular way of social status so that all individual members together can form a community. That society is able in a much better way to achieve its creation purposes and that is to retain its survival. So the order of the community; the social peace; is of course very important for its good function to survival, but that is not at all the truth. Every system in every planet

is consisted of many more different living things, such as irrational animals and plants or logical beings. Those animals and plants may not all of them be logical but they do follow a specific a circle of life, so they do belong and consists the energy field of the Force. But the same living beings are sometimes considered to be the food of other beings much stronger and bigger. So another question comes forth: is peace something natural, or is it something non-natural, therefore something invented. If peace would be established be nature, it would also not be possible for one living being to be superior in a harsh and deadly way to any other. And more importantly, if the inequality is a condition that peace includes, how realistic can it be for someone to say that the Force combines us but not at the same time- separates us in another way, in the way of natural chain of command. I think that the Sith understood those inner thoughts in their own way so their conclusions expressed the fakeness of every kind of peaceful situation. Expanding the conclusions of Darth Bane, I would say that the true natural substance, the passion, is the only thing that matters by anyone or anything that proceeds as survivalist. The passion is the only weapon to sustain alive. From that point of view the very next sentence states: Through passion, I gain strength in a meaning of strength as something of a natural weapon against everything else. Passion is the very first thing nature provides us to survive; these are emotions, or feelings which make us stronger and fitter every moment in every situation we face. In a better explanation, as a climax (or ladder) containing stairs, passion lies at the bottom stair. The primary step for a being is to follow its own passion in order to be able to evolve into something; by evolution the living being can gain control of its physical power, which Darth Bane named as strength. Physical strength is the only natural way and therefore the only true reality of the nature. Every living creature willing to survive must evolve and develop its biological weapons, also must take advantage of any others inferior beings; so it can set itself high at the climax of the nature. However, strength is considered to be only raw power arising from the bodys physical skills, therefore strength is another step in the climbing up the natural ladder of survivor. That means by developing the skill of strength can one be sure that survival from some hostile environmental situation can not be certain, and easy to achieve. That is why Bane added in his thinking the sentence through strength, I gain power.

Power is something wider and much more complex, because it does contain not only any physical skill but also includes the summary of intellectual potentialities mental abilities and logical benefits that make strength much more efficient in action. As the need of a strong material substrate is the logical sequent to survival, it is also an accommodation of all mental abilities. That in a conclusion can be quoted as a strong mind in a strong body. That dualism of mind and body, spirit and matter, is what the Sith consider to be the best combination which can make any being a true survival specie and further more a true survivalist leader. Indeed the summary of all physical potentialities are easily recognized and named as strength, but the potentialities of mental strength configured above is not an easy thing to say. But in kind of abstract conference it can be assumed that mental abilities are formed in the context of the Force. Every powerful being is strong enough to overcome any natural difficulty, but also acknowledged enough in the paths of using the midichlorians in order to manipulate the Force. That is of course the well-known way of the Sith, the way of the learning something to the maximum efficiency of its potentialities only for achieving the desired purposes, and that of course is power. That particular kind of power is as I can suppose- derived from the Force and more specific from the more secret and mystical aspect of it, the Dark Side. It is somehow true that by gaining knowledge of the Dark Side of the Force anyone can transform from a weak living being into one of the most powerful sum of capabilities that can be imagined. Of course that kind of transformations is not unknown to anyone who studies the history of Star Wars; just bring to in mind the stories of many powerful Sith Lords such as Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Plagueis, Lord Sidious, Darth Vader and many others. Those powerful Sith only after mastering the ways of the Dark Side were able in much more efficient manner to manipulate their midichlorian count to use the Force in their will. Therefore, the only way to become more powerful is to gain the proper knowledge of the only powerful state, the only energy field that controls the Galaxy and that is nothing else but the Force. The Sith in the above examples gained so much power that they were able to do mind tricks, to submit whole worlds in theirs will, to form huge armies and even to deceive death itself. So for all the Sith only through the manipulation of the Force is one able to become exempted from its bond with any other being, the bond that restrains the similarity and equality among all beings according to the order of the

Galaxy. For every Sith the main and only true aim is becoming the top of the climax order that is why Bane quoted: through power, I gain victory. The meaning of victory is that of fulfilling the purpose as nature commands; which is of course to climb up the natural climax and become the top of it. By achieving that fulfillment a Sith moves onto the next level; which contains gaining a position of power, acquiring a leading role and at the end becoming the Master of his own and of his servants. From that moment a Sith is able to proceed at the next and final step, as Bane denotes through victory, my chains are broken. The victory in the battlefield or the victory against anything conventional is the same thing for a Sith; victory provides everyone to sustain alive in a manner of not only gain the simple state of surviving, but also being beneficial from the whole situation. The true victor imposes the defeated enemies in his or her- own will, in other words by following the kind of natural justice the victor is allowed to determine the fate of the defeated. That means the only time natures true face is revealed is when the principle Might is Right5 is applied in reality. The true victor, the powerful Sith, is from that moment able to do anything he willingly desires, he is now outside from the restricting field of the morality and reality. The Force becomes the most powerful ally in the way of obtaining more and more power to transform into the highest authority, the ruler of the Galaxy. So in gaining that goal any mean necessary is allowed to be used, that is why violence states very high in the Sith training procedures. The Sith Master of the secrets of the Dark Side of the Force is now able to subordinate any other weak being; to destroy anything standing in his way, to evolve into a Sith Lord. In the rank of the Lord a Sith becomes very powerful in a way that gaining the capability to expulse the bond with the rest of the living things and climbing at the top of natural order climax, therefore the so wanted victory against any other being is achieved. At the very end of breaking the chains the sign of the new order is obvious, or as the Code states The Force shall free me. The salvation from the lie of every peaceful state and condition through the path of gaining power is the only way a Sith can feel unbounded, uncommitted, free. The importance of fear is another thing one would have to examine first to make clearly conclusion for the reasons of Sith and Jedi have their very specific way of acting with the Force. I think that for the Sith the
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Guthrie, W. K. C. (1971) The Sophists, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 101.

fear of pain and the fear of loss are the strongest type of passionate condition that one can experience. Because of the complexity of the role and importance of fear in the Sith hierarchy the above reference to that kind of passionate state is the only this article includes, the necessary space on the discussion about fear it is better to be developed as a topic in another article. For every Sith through the supremacy of the Force, and particular the Dark Side of it, is able to attain the much desired freedom of anything that set limits to the way in front. That is why the bond between him and the Force becomes so strong that in some cases leads to the exactly opposite situation, slavery, weakening and even death. Here lies the irony, from the very begging to the end a Student of the Sith ways tries to dismiss any lie of the so far known reality and enhance the natural instincts and passion so he can accomplish physical strength and appropriate mental skills. As the biological subtract evolves the achievement of gaining power becomes real close, then a very personal bond with the Force is formed though which the ability to manipulate the energy of Force field in the way of the passion is the next level of becoming Sith Master. At that moment the Sith would meditate deeply and train very hard to master the ways of the Dark Side so he is able to gain the passionate desired victory. Victory in an inner way is the sign of realizing the some kind achieved freedom from the natural bounds, and there lies the treachery of the whole situation. Because all the Sith would use every piece of knowledge about the Force in order to become more powerful of it and surpass it, the meaning of the last sentence can be understood as the Force shall bring a kind of illusory freedom. Instead of becoming free, the Sith become more and more blinded by their passionate power; which also leads them o their inner corruption. Corruption is the main cause of the main problematic situation among the Sith, the betrayals. The incident of treacherous relations between Students and Masters is in many cases the result of choosing that individual success is worth put above everything else, in that direction is the dogma of any means necessary is adopted. Unstable relationships as mentioned above often lead to one and the same result, the death of one by the other. In other words, the Sith way as Darth Bane comprehended in his Code would be better to say that reveals a vicious circle, in which the fate of the attended followers is determined in a constant struggle full of fears and death. How better can anyone summarize the true essence of the tragic circle of the Sith way, but from the very words of a Sith: [Darth Plagueis the Wise] became so

powerful, the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power...which, eventually of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Plagueis never saw it coming. Ironic. He could save others from death...but not himself6.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005).