The Force: A Nerdy Star Wars Debate

I will use this round to explain the theory of the force, and to outline what the Unifying Force theory advocates. This round will provide the background information and set-up necessary to construct my arguments. Part One: Providing BackgroundTHE FORCE"The Force was a metaphysical, binding, and ubiquitous power that held enormous importance for both the Jedi and Sith monastic orders. Known as the Way in ancient times, the Force was viewed in many different aspects, including, but not limited to, the light side, the dark side, the Unifying Force, and the Living Force. .. The latter two aspects were defined by prominent Jedi philosophies: The Unifying Force essentially embraced space and time in its entirety while the Living Force dealt with the energy of living things. .. the Force partially existed inside the life forms that used it, and drew energy from their emotions. " [1]THE UNIFYING FORCE"The concept of the Unifying Force was that the Force is a single entity and has neither a light nor a dark side. The Unifying Force was viewed as a deity that neither had sides nor chose them, treating all beings equally. Followers of the Unifying Force always kept their eyes open for future possibilities. " [1] Jedi that believed in the Unifying Force "focused on the flow of time as a whole" rather than on the moment. [1, 2] THE LIVING FORCE"Proponents of the Living Force view. .. espoused a philosophy of "living in the moment," relied heavily on their instincts and concentrated more on sensitivity to living things, rather than fulfilling destiny, which was one of the main tenets of the Unifying Force philosophy. " [3] "The Living Force was thought to be present in most living beings, surrounding and penetrating them, thus making all living things connected by it. The Jedi believing in the Living Force relied on their instincts and were attuned to other living beings around them. " [1]SYNTHESISThe Unifying Force is more forward-looking. It asserts that people have destinies, that the future takes precedence over the moment, and that there is no light side or dark side. Several prominent supporters (in part or in whole) of this theory include Darth Sidious, Vergere, and Yoda. [2] The Living Force, however, is more grounded in the present. It asserts that focus should be concentrated on the now, that there is a definitive dark and light side, and that fulfilling destinies is not an important goal. One prominent supporter was Qui-Gon Jinn. [3]I will be asserting that the Unifying Force is a more accurate descriptor of the Force than the Living Force is. This does not mean that I must show that the Unifying Force is 100% accurate; merely, I must show that it is more accurate than the Living Force. Part Two: Outlining my ArgumentsThere are several key things that we can point to in order to support the notion of the "Unifying Force. " They include: (1) visions and prophecies, (2) the Force itself (tool), (3) the Force itself (nature). VISIONS AND PROPHECIESOne of the core tenets of the Unifying Force is that visions and prophecies matter. I can cite several empirical examples of the importance of visions and prophecies in Star Wars: Anakin's visions regarding the death of Padme [4] and the Prophecy of the One Who Will Bring Balance [5]. Another example can be seen in Darth Traya's ability to predict (correctly) the fall of the last Mandalorians thousands of years into the future. [6]The impact of this analysis is this: that the Force is forward-looking, and not locked into the present. It also implies that certain people have destinies to fulfill. THE FORCE AS A TOOLMany scholars of the Force, from Plo Koon to Vergere, saw the force merely as a tool. We can back this analysis up with the following logic:If the force had inherent dark or light qualities, then only dark-side users should be able to perform acts of dark-side force usage. Force lighting, a decidedly dark act, can be used by light-side users, like Plo Koon [7]. If all realms of the force are open to all users, regardless of their affiliation, then it seems that the force is really not as delineated as some would claim. The force is like a tool. Take a hammer, for instance. I can use a hammer constructively, to repair something. I can also use it destructively, to destroy something. The hammer is neither good, nor bad. It all depends on how it is used. This is the case with the Force. THE NATURE OF THE FORCEThe Force does not pick sides. The Force seeks balance--it does not seek domination by the Light or by the Dark. Rather, it allows evil and good to ebb and flow almost cyclically. If the Force really did pick sides, as the Living Force would suggest, then why would the Force not be more vigorous in combatting the Dark Side? Thus, I rest. I apologies for the brevity of my arguments. I have been way too busy lately. .. PREEMPTIONCon may attempt to argue that we should prefer the Living Force theory because it had more adherents. Firstly, this is an ad hominem fallacy, and secondly, the New Jedi Order adopted the Unifying Force theory. [8] The Unifying Force also had many estimable proponents, as noted earlier. Part Three: Sources1 - . http://starwars.wikia.com...2 - . http://starwars.wikia.com...3 - . http://starwars.wikia.com...4 - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith5 - Episode I: The Phantom Menace6 - . http://starwars.wikia.com...7 - . http://starwars.wikia.com...8 - . http://scifi.about.com...