xCyberpunkx Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 (edited) I've always envisioned the Force as sort of pantheistic, whereas the Force is more nature than a conscious deity. If I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me, as I haven't read too much into the metaphysics of The Force as Lucas intended. I've instead made my own speculations about it, and though it's clear that The Force isn't some sort of deity who sits on a throne in the heavens, I haven't exactly stricken that idea from conjecture altogether. Some of the liberties that the Jedi and the Sith take with utilizing The Force, and what power it really does proffer, leads me to wonder whether or not the Force is, in a sense, a conscious deity. I don't want to get into the midichlorian thing, because that just turns this into a science rather than a magic. But, Force users often refer to the Force as "speaking" to them (or was that the midichlorians? Ugh!). Jedi are able to read and influence minds, predict the future, manipulate the seemingly natural laws of the universe. Could this great power be bestowed by a mere unconscious deity, one who simply takes no interest in meddling in sentient affairs and would allow them to alter the pre-established laws as they see fit? But does The Force really not meddle? Or does it simply "influence" the Force user of its choosing? It would stand to believe that a "Chosen One," born without a father, might have been of the direct conscious choice of the deity (And it's obviously an allusion to the immaculate conception of the Jesus mythos anyway). So let's imagine for a moment that The Force itself is a deity, and let's also assume that it is a Deistic force; by Deistic here, we have to assume that it was a conscious creator, with its sole purpose being to put the laws of the universe into place and the beings to inhabit that universe. However, after the laws are established and the beings are thriving, the creator indefinitely separates himself from his creation, and does not ever influence anything by way of miracles, or get involved in the lives of sentients at all. His job was simply to create. He will do no more. If "The Force"absolutely has to inhabit a deity role, if being merely a pantheistic presence doesn't make much sense because of the power it instills, then I would argue that this is the form it so readily takes. If this argument stands, then it seems to me that the Jedi and Sith both manipulate The Force of their own volition; since The Force does not involve itself with sentient affairs, it has no say in how its beings manipulate its power. But then if we go back to argument about The Force choosing the Force Sensitives, it doesn't take on a Deistic role any longer, it instead fully inhabits that of a ruling deity. If that's the case, is this an indifferent god, one that allows its powers to be slanted between Light and Dark, chaos and harmony? Or does it simply become a slave to its beings as hinted at by the Sith when they claim, "The Force lives to serve us." I'm curious about people's conceptions of The Force, because if it truly is a Deistic presence, then the Jedi may seem just as guilty of abusing its power than the Sith. Again, this isn't intended to be an argument, just a post to get everyone's philosophical wheels rolling. Edited February 25, 2012 by xCyberpunkx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylancholy Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_force Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnsignSorrow Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 (edited) Well there are two major philosophies of the force within the starwars universe. Both are interesting. No one really understands the force. The force is the force. So to speak. The Unifying Force was a concept that found fewer supporters within the Jedi Order than the Living Force. The concept of the Unifying Force was that the Force is a single entity and has neither a light nor the 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. In the end, it resulted in them trying to fulfill a destiny rather than focusing on here and now, as the Living Force supporter would do. My understanding of the force is that it is the will of the universe. It guides all things. It's part of nature. I agree there. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Unifying_Force http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Living_Force Edited February 26, 2012 by EnsignSorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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