Like I said before, I’ve been reading a lot and recently finished two books that take a deeper look at the actions and underlying beliefs of the Star Wars Universe.
This is going to be a quick review but I wanted to give my two cents on both Star Wars and Philosophy and The Dharma of Star Wars as I thought they were both good and interesting reads.
Star Wars and Philosophy
Star Wars and Philosophy is a compilation book written by several college professors, most in the philosophy field. They explore ethical challenges and moral conundrums and dilemmas in George Lucas’s universe, such as “are droids are type of slave?” and “why do Jedi always have to wave their hand and manipulate people to get their way?”.
Star Wars and Philosophy also touches on the religious aspect of Star Wars, namely the behavior and attitudes of those in tune with The Force. There is a chapter entitled “The Far East and Star Wars” that goes into depth on the Buddhist leanings of the Jedi. This chapter is an interesting one, especially when paired with The Dharma of Star Wars, which I will get into shortly.
Perhaps my favorite chapter in Star Wars and Philosophy however was “Moral Ambiguity in a Black-and-White Universe” by Richard H. Dees from the University of Rochester. Dees changed my entire of view of Lando Calrissian in less than five pages. Whereas I once thought of Lando as a scoundrel and individualist, not unlike Han Solo, Dees argue that in The Empire Strikes Back, Lando is stuck between a rock and hard place the moment Darth Vader arrived. As Dees writes, “No matter what Lando does, Han will be captured by Darth Vader: either he will surrender Han to Vader or the stormtrooper will capture him on the their assault of the planet”. Not a good position for a leader to be in. Dees concludes that by immediately joining the Rebellion and leading the attack on the second Death Star, Lando is actually one of the most morally courageous people in the Star Wars saga.
Lando, if you read this, I’m sorry I misunderstood you all these years. I owe you a Colt 45.
The Dharma of Star Wars
Written by Matthew Bortolin, an ordained member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, The Dharma of Star Wars takes a different approach than Star Wars and Philosophy. Whereas Star Wars and Philosophy was an exploratory look into ideas and notions, The Dharma of Star Wars is more of a guide to a way of life.
In The Dharma of Star Wars, Bortolin parlays his wisdom of Buddhism with his knowledge of the Star Wars Universe. He discusses key elements of The Force such as meditation, patience, and oneness. As each of these are also prominent in Buddhism, Bortolin compares and contrast the practices of a good Buddhist with those considered a good Jedi (Obi Wan, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, etc.). Bortolin also compares the actions of Jabba the Hutt and Jar-Jar Binks to those who do not practice the teachings of the Buddha.
(Here is a great interview with Bortolin about the book. He also has a personal blog on the StarWars.com website.)
My personal favorite part of The Dharma of Star Wars is the second to last section, the "Padawan Handbook: Zen Contemplations for the Would-Be Jedi". Here Bortolin re-writes several Zen koans and makes them applicable to the Star Wars universe. I am fan of Zen koans and have several books of them, so I thought this section was particularly interesting.
Among Bortolin's contemplations are thoughts on life, desire, wisdom, time, and several other concepts. Although there are many good lines and words of wisdom in this section, as there are in the entire book, my favorite specific line is in the "Contemplation on Time": "The future, then, is unreal because it is not the present. Only the present is real; only this moment is alive."
I often hear that I take my interests too seriously. That I dissect everything I like in a way that for most people would kill the fun. But to me that is fun. And without that curiosity, I'd have never read Star Wars and Philosophy and The Dharma of Star Wars. If you, like me, like a little deep thinking in your pop culture fodder, you should check these books out.
And May the Force be with you.
This is going to be a quick review but I wanted to give my two cents on both Star Wars and Philosophy and The Dharma of Star Wars as I thought they were both good and interesting reads.
Star Wars and Philosophy
Star Wars and Philosophy is a compilation book written by several college professors, most in the philosophy field. They explore ethical challenges and moral conundrums and dilemmas in George Lucas’s universe, such as “are droids are type of slave?” and “why do Jedi always have to wave their hand and manipulate people to get their way?”.
Star Wars and Philosophy also touches on the religious aspect of Star Wars, namely the behavior and attitudes of those in tune with The Force. There is a chapter entitled “The Far East and Star Wars” that goes into depth on the Buddhist leanings of the Jedi. This chapter is an interesting one, especially when paired with The Dharma of Star Wars, which I will get into shortly.
Perhaps my favorite chapter in Star Wars and Philosophy however was “Moral Ambiguity in a Black-and-White Universe” by Richard H. Dees from the University of Rochester. Dees changed my entire of view of Lando Calrissian in less than five pages. Whereas I once thought of Lando as a scoundrel and individualist, not unlike Han Solo, Dees argue that in The Empire Strikes Back, Lando is stuck between a rock and hard place the moment Darth Vader arrived. As Dees writes, “No matter what Lando does, Han will be captured by Darth Vader: either he will surrender Han to Vader or the stormtrooper will capture him on the their assault of the planet”. Not a good position for a leader to be in. Dees concludes that by immediately joining the Rebellion and leading the attack on the second Death Star, Lando is actually one of the most morally courageous people in the Star Wars saga.
Lando, if you read this, I’m sorry I misunderstood you all these years. I owe you a Colt 45.
The Dharma of Star Wars
Written by Matthew Bortolin, an ordained member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, The Dharma of Star Wars takes a different approach than Star Wars and Philosophy. Whereas Star Wars and Philosophy was an exploratory look into ideas and notions, The Dharma of Star Wars is more of a guide to a way of life.
In The Dharma of Star Wars, Bortolin parlays his wisdom of Buddhism with his knowledge of the Star Wars Universe. He discusses key elements of The Force such as meditation, patience, and oneness. As each of these are also prominent in Buddhism, Bortolin compares and contrast the practices of a good Buddhist with those considered a good Jedi (Obi Wan, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, etc.). Bortolin also compares the actions of Jabba the Hutt and Jar-Jar Binks to those who do not practice the teachings of the Buddha.
(Here is a great interview with Bortolin about the book. He also has a personal blog on the StarWars.com website.)
My personal favorite part of The Dharma of Star Wars is the second to last section, the "Padawan Handbook: Zen Contemplations for the Would-Be Jedi". Here Bortolin re-writes several Zen koans and makes them applicable to the Star Wars universe. I am fan of Zen koans and have several books of them, so I thought this section was particularly interesting.
Among Bortolin's contemplations are thoughts on life, desire, wisdom, time, and several other concepts. Although there are many good lines and words of wisdom in this section, as there are in the entire book, my favorite specific line is in the "Contemplation on Time": "The future, then, is unreal because it is not the present. Only the present is real; only this moment is alive."
I often hear that I take my interests too seriously. That I dissect everything I like in a way that for most people would kill the fun. But to me that is fun. And without that curiosity, I'd have never read Star Wars and Philosophy and The Dharma of Star Wars. If you, like me, like a little deep thinking in your pop culture fodder, you should check these books out.
And May the Force be with you.
