Are Sith really evil?

[AshlaBoga]

I think overall the Sith are evil, but there's something odd about that.

 

The Sith Code isn't the basis for a philosophy of evil in and of itself.

 

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.

 

One could live by the Sith code and live a good, nay heroic life.

 

I myself embrace the idea that passion grants strength and that victory grants you freedom. Am I evil? No, I'm a part-time human rights activist and member of Green Peace, Amnesty International, and donate to UNICEF every year.

 

Clearly one can fight for justice, virtue and freedom just as easily via the Sith code as the Jedi code!

Edited March 24, 2012 by AshlaBoga

[Pariedolia]

The jedi are evil and the sith are just a little bit more(as a whole) The jedi are lsaves to the republic and the imperial military are slaves to the sith.

[Captain_Zone]

I think overall the Sith are evil, but there's something odd about that.

 

The Sith Code isn't the basis for a philosophy of evil in and of itself.

 

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.

 

One could live by the Sith code and live a good, nay heroic life.

 

I myself embrace the idea that passion grants strength and that victory grants you freedom. Am I evil? No, I'm a part-time human rights activist and member of Green Peace, Amnesty International, and donate to UNICEF every year.

 

Clearly one can fight for justice, virtue and freedom just as easily via the Sith code as the Jedi code!

 

I already broke it down, man. See a few pages back.

[adanali_umut]

Having played a jedi knight and a sith warrior, though I haven't finished the last one's story completely. I can say that I can make up my mind about things.

 

Are the sith really evil? Yes, they are

Are the jedi really good? Yes, they are

 

BUT, both of them have a BUT in there. The sith are evil because they have the freedom to be evil. And the jedi are good because their code stops them to do evil acts. And that is how problems are bron. This is because... suppose if you have the opportunity to do everything you want without any restriction. You could kill anyone you want, you could steal from anyone you want and with the power of the force, there wouldn't be anyone who would stop you from doing that. The thing is... would you do that? If you answer "yes", then yes.. you have demonstrated that the sith are in fact evil. If you however don't do that, but you would simply be using your freedom to perform good acts (which is allowed in sith teachings), then you demonstrate that the sith code doesn't lead to being evil.

 

On the other hand, Jedi.. with their code to not allow emotions to dictate your actions mean that they don't perform any evil acts. However, this in some cases lead to them being to careful out of fear for the dark side. A good example of that are the mandalorian wars. They were send by the sith to attack the republic to which the jedi choose not to intervene since they claimed to be not to much of a threat. But in the mean time, people.. heck even worlds and societies who could have used the jedi's help didn't get that because they were waiting for sith to come out of hiding. Had the jedi intervened at the start, more lives would have been saved. They choose not to because they were afraid that it would lead most jedi to the dark side.

 

And there are the flaws in both religions. The sith (with their code that leads to freedom) have to learn to not abuse that freedom to do such evil acts while the jedi (with their code to find inner peace) have to learn to do what is necessary for the greater good. The dark side, though sometimes cruel can be controlled and sometimes need to be to stop the galaxy to suffer.

 

Freedom doest mean u will do bad things it only means u are free to choose your own path. as jedi while playing knight i didn't like to be bossed all time. council meetings i had travel all the way back. u didn't had to freedom to go your own way. to love some one and marry some u love. its war u are gonna die any way life us like we want to . and as sith there no belance no allies with other aliens that makes empire weak like ww2 germany lose in end with no supply's and men power. the big issue with the sith day only kill each other for power. jedi i like help people to do some good like said sith are stronger but jedi are weak mean the way act. both sides mis parts

Edited March 25, 2012 by adanali_umut

[spectreclees]

Go to star wars wikia and look up the Sith Emperor, read his bio. Make your own determination.

 

Hint: Yes... very evil.

[adanali_umut]

Go to star wars wikia and look up the Sith Emperor, read his bio. Make your own determination.

 

Hint: Yes... very evil.

 

hi is evil we know doest mean every imperial and sith are

[spectreclees]

hi is evil we know doest mean every imperial and sith are

 

His question was a broad one, he asked if the SITH are evil, there leader is evil. The teachings of the sith are derived from his teachings. I'm not saying every sith is evil, my sith isn't for sure. I went LS but he's asking in a large scope are the sith evil. The answer is yes, imo.

[vaknyuszi]

Genocide, slavery, warmongering, no self-control, racism, murder, treachery and treason.

 

You take... Hitler, Pre-War Dixie, the Mongols, a teenager, 1950's America, a serial killer, and Benedict Arnold and you get the Empire. How are they NOT evil?

 

Sith are not like that, the Empire is like that.

For example Malgus is not xenophobic at all and wants to make alien allies to the Empire.

 

Sith NOt=Empire

[JediElf]

A Sith can have: Friends, family, lovers, rivals, children, apprentices and followers.

 

For good or for bad, a Sith can have all of those things and not be expelled from their station.

 

A Jedi can have: A master, or a padawan (if they are the master), and a enemy to which they train to defeat (aka a Sith or a rouge Jedi).

 

They are forbidden from family, love, and attachment of any kind, leaving them completely incapable of dealing with loss, and death.

 

It seems like the Sith can have more by default, and can live a fuller life, no matter how short lived it may be.

 

It's no wonder all the Jedi I meet in the game are more than willing to fall on my lightsaber...I can't say I blame them really.

 

Edited March 25, 2012 by JediElf

[ShadowNessej]

When i looked at the title i thought, "Well, obviously, have you not seen the movies or read the books etc?" But honestly i think this thread was well thought out (Except for the using lightning part, that didn't make much sense to me) but he provided lots of facts mixed with opinions and i think it was well done.

 

So kudos to you OP

[Darth_Solrac]

Personally, I favor the Sith Order more than the Empire it semi serves. The Sith Code, their style, etc. all are freedom to me. Life is nothing without passion after all.

[YaanaOhtar]

The Sith idea is not evil. However the way they interpret it is evil. And the jedi afraid of that so they banned all.

 

Take this for example : Love, if you love s.o so much and there is a guy come and kill that person you love, would you hate him ? Would you yearn for his dead ? For a normal person he could kill that guy and be arrested or live the rest of his life in guilt. But for a force user the addiction from your anger your hatred filling your force your power will lead you down to the dark part. This is the reason why Jedi banned all emotion attachment.

 

Now in case of the Sith: passion is right; if you passion about something you will be great at that. However they keep filling it with hatred and anger, which lead them to be addicted to it's power. And they keep thinking the strong survive the weak will die due to because of these hatred and anger. You can be passionate be aggressive but you have to know the line - dont fall to anger and hatred -.

 

The only problem with the force is "Anger and Hatred" this is evil. The Jedi fear it so they banned all passion. The Sith addicted to it so they embrace the wrong passion.

[Captain_Zone]

The Sith idea is not evil. However the way they interpret it is evil. And the jedi afraid of that so they banned all.

 

Take this for example : Love, if you love s.o so much and there is a guy come and kill that person you love, would you hate him ? Would you yearn for his dead ? For a normal person he could kill that guy and be arrested or live the rest of his life in guilt. But for a force user the addiction from your anger your hatred filling your force your power will lead you down to the dark part. This is the reason why Jedi banned all emotion attachment.

 

Now in case of the Sith: passion is right; if you passion about something you will be great at that. However they keep filling it with hatred and anger, which lead them to be addicted to it's power. And they keep thinking the strong survive the weak will die due to because of these hatred and anger. You can be passionate be aggressive but you have to know the line - dont fall to anger and hatred -.

 

The only problem with the force is "Anger and Hatred" this is evil. The Jedi fear it so they banned all passion. The Sith addicted to it so they embrace the wrong passion.

 

Man, that's the REAL Jedi Code: When in doubt, ban it!

[bookist]

If I had to be honest, most sith are addicted to power and commit evil deeds because of it. Though, it is a bit hard for me to say the Sith are not evil when one suggested the Voss not join the Republic because of their morals. Yes I am serious.

[DarthRamette]

I don't think Sith as a whole are evil, there are very evil people who are Sith, Darth jadus, Zhorrid ect there are those who are content with thier places like Lacharus, Zash who are not evil. I think the Sith Code could lead to evil people but then again so can the jedi code as well.

[Maaruin]

Man, that's the REAL Jedi Code: When in doubt, ban it!

 

Sometimes, maybe. But you could say this is open for debate among the Jedi. There were eras when it was completely fine for a Jedi to marry, there were eras when it was forbidden completely. And in SWTOR you have to ask for permission and fulfill certain conditions.

 

You also have Jedi who show close to no emotions and you have Jedi which show emotions. Obi-Wan Kenobi for example shows many different emotions during the film. In game Master Jaric Kaedan (council) shows emotion and so does Master Silvarte (he gives the lovers quest on Tython).

 

 

On the other hand, Sith also ban certain things. On Korriban there is an inquisitor who orders you too kill "heretics", who promote "teachings which make you weak". This could very well be teachings like "it is better to have positive passions like love, compassion and joy, instead of anger and hatered".

 

And there was a Sith Lord of the past, Kel'eth Ur, who taught that "fear is a lie, passion is a lie; real strenght in the force comes when one is no longer afraid". He was killed and his teachings were banned.

 

Your character can be a light side Sith because he is very strong. A weaker one would have probably died on Korriban.

 

 

All in all, Jedi and Sith are sometimes more and sometimes less restrictive.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Maaruin

[JediElf]

To me it also seems like the Sith wants to live, far more than any Jedi.

 

It seems that every Sith, regardless of their rank or station in life, actually clings to their life, and in battle they fight until they fall down dead. They fight to live.

 

On the other hand every Jedi I've come across, thus far, has been nearly suicidal. They drone in this emotionless tone about how evil the Sith are and how they are the only true good, then after they have engaged in combat, even if shown mercy, they all but throw themselves on the blade.

 

It wold lead one to think that the Jedi code, and the Jedi life, is such a misery that the Jedi themselves have a very tenuous grip on their own mortality. They don't seem to 'want' to live.

 

There is no death, there is the Force...indeed...a dead Jedi is still dead, and a Sith has proven that right on many an occasion.

Edited March 26, 2012 by JediElf

[YaanaOhtar]

To me it also seems like the Sith wants to live, far more than any Jedi.

 

It seems that every Sith, regardless of their rank or station in life, actually clings to their life, and in battle they fight until they fall down dead. They fight to live.

 

On the other hand every Jedi I've come across, thus far, has been nearly suicidal. They drone in this emotionless tone about how evil the Sith are and how they are the only true good, then after they have engaged in combat, even if shown mercy, they all but throw themselves on the blade.

 

It wold lead one to think that the Jedi code, and the Jedi life, is such a misery that the Jedi themselves have a very tenuous grip on their own mortality. They don't seem to 'want' to live.

 

There is no death, there is the Force...indeed...a dead Jedi is still dead, and a Sith has proven that right on many an occasion.

 

Well as you know Sith has a long history of killing their own master and their apprentice. So for a sith survival mean everything; they have to do everything to survive. While the jedi embrace peace of the mind; they fight but ready to to die which could be mean they likely to sacrifice themselves a lot.

 

p/s: after playing the whole story i kinda understand why so many jedi fall to dark side. I mean seriously every where i go any where i go will be like "Master Jedi please save us, you're our only hope" it seriously could stress one's mind. It's a joke though

[Ashu-ri]

I think overall the Sith are evil, but there's something odd about that.

 

The Sith Code isn't the basis for a philosophy of evil in and of itself.

 

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.

 

One could live by the Sith code and live a good, nay heroic life.

 

I myself embrace the idea that passion grants strength and that victory grants you freedom. Am I evil? No, I'm a part-time human rights activist and member of Green Peace, Amnesty International, and donate to UNICEF every year.

 

Clearly one can fight for justice, virtue and freedom just as easily via the Sith code as the Jedi code!

 

I agree, somewhat. Certainly passion for a cause leads you to get involved, things of that nature.

[DustomaticGXC]

Sith aren't just willing to kill for survival. They're willing to kill when it isn't necessary. Hell, most of them are willing to kill just because someone inconvenienced them. It's not that they value their own lives so much that makes them evil. It's that they value the lives of other so little.

 

I can't believe there is any debate here. Sith are absolutely evil. To argue otherwise is to pervert the definition of evil.

Edited March 26, 2012 by DustomaticGXC

[Captain_Zone]

Sith aren't just willing to kill for survival. They're willing to kill when it isn't necessary. Hell, most of them are willing to kill just because someone inconvenienced them. It's not that they value their own lives so much that makes them evil. It's that they value the lives of other so little.

 

I can't believe there is any debate here. Sith are absolutely evil. To argue otherwise is to pervert the definition of evil.

 

Is this an "Only Sith deal in absolutes" moment? If so, WELCOME TO THE SITH ORDER! We have COOKIES!

[Silimaa]

My personal belief is that when the Sith were originally started it wasn't about really power. Considering what the Exiles are known for I see them as scientists. (Muur engineered plagues, Syn was some sort of anthropologist, etc. Creating Sith spawn meant having a greater than working knowledge of genetics while they figured it out, especially if they did manage to create a sentient species.) The Sith are about individual freedom, while the Jedi are more of the freedom of being a part of a community. That's why so many people today like the Sith. (Read a sociology book to get a better idea please. I'm not doing a good job explaining.) However the Sith make responsibility something to be mainly determined by each person. They remove duty to the community in favor of the individual. The Jedi say set aside the individual for the community. This is why you need a balance.

 

The Sith do have certain rules, but these are much more in keeping with the Mandalorian type restrictions. Sith can be light sided, but conflict is essential to their growth. That's why Sith who are against conflict are considered madmen. Since the individual is most important the community is secondary, which does not mean the community is unimportant. That's why the loyalty to the Empire is so great a part of these Sith. However, this also means that other individuals are not as important. Everyone must prove themselves worthy. Everyone must be strong. Stabbing your superior in the back is not truly a Sith idea. It doesn't prove you stronger - it proves you can't be trusted. That's why you have something like the Kaggath. Strength is rewarded, as is right in a meritocracy. After all, strength leads to power. Slaves who prove their strength can grow to be more, though they must be careful in how they go about it.

 

It's worthwhile to note that Ajunta Pall first turned against the society he built out of disgust and dismay at how the Sith were acting. The constant backstabbing, the ceaseless bickering, were all things he rejected. The indication is that Pall actually intended for some sense of honor to be exercised, a theory further strengthened by how many ancient Sith rituals involve a certain amount of honor. Something to think about. The best Sith are the ones with moral codes, however this code is self determined. (Which Pall probably did want them to do, and neglected to realize that many people don't have a sense or code of honor. A minor flaw commonly found among the honorable.)

 

It should also be noted that the Sith species is symbiotically linked with the Dark Side. Considering how many Sith share that blood something of that link likely remains, meaning that the SIth are bound to Darkness from birth though they may not actually be evil. Remember - 97.2 percent of the Empire has some Sith blood. (Thank you Revan for trying to commit genocide. At least we know how many people are related to the red skinned race - in the Empire that is. Now, how many non-combatants vaguely related to the Sith would have been killed too? There's a nice question.)

 

As for the Sith code as I think it is intended:

Peace is a lie - The world is conflict, as is a person. Accept it, embrace it, USE it. Don't ignore it. Thinking the world is sunshine and daisies is not a very good idea when there is a WAR going on. Or when your competitor wants to take you over. Or when your kid gets kicked out because you won't admit that there is a problem. The only true peace is inside and that is destroyed because

There is only Passion- Simple enough. Passion destroys peace. However, you can be passionate and still retain a sense of inner equilibrium which some Sith do. This does not say that's not true. However passion is a far stronger force than peace. We are driven by our passions, whether emotional or intellectual or both.

Through passion I gain strength - things you are passionate about you do better at. Passion can make you stronger. It can make you more willing to follow the course through. Of course the Old Republic Jedi failed - they weren't passionate about anything, even saving the Republic! Where you find passion, and how you use it is up to you.

Through strength I gain power - because if you do well at something then you will gain power. The better you are at something the better you will get and the further you will go. Again, what your strengths are and where you focus them is up to you.

Through power I gain victory - What I'm trying to do I will succeed at. I will accomplish my goals, whatever they may be.

Through victory my chains are broken - I free myself of limitations. I do the impossible. Can't climb that giant mountain? Just watch me! The chains are metaphorical binds holding you back. It is all the "you can'ts" shattering under the force of one "I will," and accomplishing that feat.

The Force Shall Free Me. - Having done the others I am free to follow my own path, to seek my own future, to accomplish my dreams. I am my own man/woman. My own person. I am no longer bound, no longer tied down. And yes, the Force has freed me too. My fate is my own, my choices my own, and the Force has no say in the matter. I am no longer dominated by its will. (literally, the Force will free me, as in "my master will free me." The Sith seeing the Force as something trying to control them...)

 

So yes, a fairly loose guideline telling you to give your all to whatever you are trying to accomplish.

Edited June 14, 2012 by Silimaa

[BubbleDncr]

Jedi tend to be good, and Sith tend to be evil. But they are both wrong in their beliefs, because both groups are extremists.

 

Truly, one should seek to find balance between the two ideologies.

[zoraknfz]

Jedi tend to be good, and Sith tend to be evil. But they are both wrong in their beliefs, because both groups are extremists.

 

Truly, one should seek to find balance between the two ideologies.

 

Where do I know that picture from...

[Silimaa]

Yeah... Extremism is almost never a good thing. The Jedi are so extreme in their beliefs that they lose sight of their true goal. Thus the evil of the Jedi is complacency. The SIth have merely a guideline, but they lack a moral code. So the evil of the Sith is the lack of a singular code of ethics. Absolute order vs. absolute chaos. Freedom of the community vs. freedom of the individual. The galaxy doesn't need a peace treaty. What it needs is the return of the Je'daii order. I'd like to note that way back when everyone was trying to find balance the problem with Dark Siders among the order essentially did not exist. They certainly didn't cause this much trouble... Of course the Rakata were making problems and using the Force but they weren't a Dark Side based society the way the Sith are. They simply used it to power their machinery which is something else again.