D_Renegade Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 As an organization, from a Western moral standpoint, the Sith are evil. Through and through. I will not debate this. At the same time, there's nothing in your post that it necessarily incorrect, and I would agree that the Jedi Order along with the Republic have been complicit in genocides and numerous crimes the galaxy-over. Belsavis, for instance, where Republic scientists conduct racist and barbaric experiments against alien prisoners. The Jedi Civil War, where the Jedi Council resigned the Order to hypocritical pacifism as Mandalore the Ultimate conquered and slaughtered countless innocents in a crusade of glory and bloodlust (origins of Revan). And yes, as you noted, the Great Hyperspace War -- where the Jedi and Republic attempted genocide against the Sith (inspiration for Revan's droid army specifically programmed to terminate any organic being with "Sith genetic material", 98% of the Imperial population -- another ploy in which the Republic and Jedi were complicit). It is repeatedly expressed throughout Star Wars Legends that the source of the Sith's utter contempt for the Jedi originates with the closing events of the Great Hyperspace War. The galaxy, I suspect, would be a very different place had the Republic negotiated terms of surrender with the defeated Sith Empire. Sith respect strength, and the Republic had proven theirs. However, memories of genocide echo through generations; this is what fueled Vitiate's rise to power. So yes, the Sith's hatred does have historical precedence. And yes, it is a potential point of sympathy. To the Sith, the Republic and Jedi are an existential threat, and they have a score to settle. I won't make the case for how the Sith Order and the Empire are evil. Personally, I don't tend to think in terms of "good" and "evil" (having read Nietzsche). But as I stated, for the purposes of this conversation, the Sith Order is evil (slavery, racism, torture, subjugation, oppression, etc.). But we have to remember, as a logical axiom, that individuals are not necessarily defined by the collective. And so we must ask: what defines a Sith? A Sith is most clearly any Force-sensitive being who contemplates, subscribes to, and acts in accordance with the Sith Code. (Traditionally, a Sith would also be trained in the art of lightsaber combat.) Yes, the Sith have their roots in heredity and tradition, and this plays a greater or lesser role depending on the time period we're discussing, but this is largely irrelevant to the point I'm about to make. The Sith Code Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion I/we gain strength. Through strength I/we gain power. Through power I/we gain victory. Through victory, my/our chains are broken. The Force shall set me/us free! What is inherently evil about Passion? Nothing. What is inherently evil about Strength? Nothing. What is inherently evil about Power? Nothing. What is inherently evil about Victory? Nothing. What is inherently evil about Freedom? ...Nothing. What matters are the choices a Sith makes, and how those choices are informed by the Code. Do you kill a foe in cold blood, or offer mercy in exchange for his loyalty? The Sith Code offers no definite answer to this situation. Both paths are viable. And yet, could it not be through Strength that a Sith shows mercy, and could this not add to his Power? (Without spoilers) Recall Lord Rathari in the Sith Warrior story. If you spared him, you will understand my reasoning. Is peace a lie? Philosophically speaking, perhaps. Peace is an illusion. Worse, a self-delusion. Peace is stagnation. When one is at peace, one has no incentive to grow; to evolve; to become more. "Conflict forces one to better oneself. It forces change, growth, adaption, evolution… or death." ―Yuthura Ban Indeed, there is only passion. For what compels men to action other than passion? The Jedi are hypocrites. To be emotionless is to be passionless, and to be passionless is to be a nihilist of the truest form. How can a Jedi claim his values are true and just while proclaiming "there is no emotion"? One cannot VALUE without emotion! The true Jedi must admit and believe that truth, knowledge and justice are of equal value as falseness, ignorance and injustice. "A single, unifying code can be derived from the Sith philosophy. The Jedi have a code, and we exiles know it well. But we also know it is full of inadequacies and half-truths." ―Sorzus Syn ...Or in the words of the Empire's Wrath, "The entire [Jedi] Order is mired in falseness." No, there is nothing inherently evil about the Sith. Moreover, their philosophy is superior to that of the Jedi -- as the Jedi Code is rooted in cognitive dissonance. So why are there so many "evil" Sith tromping around the galaxy murdering everything with a heartbeat, you ask? Two reasons: I. Culture & Institution The current incarnation of the Sith Order is rooted in the teachings of the restored Sith Academy on Korriban. These teachings are those passed down by ancient Sith Lords, canonized by the modern Sith intellectual aristocracy, and enforced through overseers and instructors. However, adhering to these teachings only initiates one into the Sith Order -- they do not make one a SITH. And to the question, many of these teachings are precisely to blame for the "evil" within the Sith Order and the Empire by extension. II. Control & The Dark Side Simply put, it takes equal if not greater strength and self-control to control the Dark Side of the Force than it does the Light Side, at least for most humanoid species with naturally aggressive instincts. Weak-willed individuals may use the Dark Side of the Force, but they will not control it; rather, it will control them. They will succumb to those primal emotions from which the Dark Side feeds and be reduced to their base nature of impulse savagery and aggression. The power of the Dark Side becomes a drug. It becomes the end, not the means. These individuals will never achieve freedom, for they are enslaved in a most ironic fashion. The strong-willed Sith does not sacrifice his sanity. He understands that the Dark Side is a tool, but also a creature to be tamed. But the Korriban Academy does not produce strong-willed individuals, rather it produces hedonists, schemers and brutes. Again, a flaw of the Institution of the Sith rather than the Sith as an ideal. (As a tangent, it is the difference between these two types of people what determines whether one is susceptible to the Jedi Mind Trick/Force Persuasion or resistant to its influence.) Of course, a strong-willed Sith like Darth Baras is still "evil", but he is the exception here; and again, a reflection of the Culture of the Sith. Machiavelli, of course, was as sane a man as Leonardo da Vinci. Darth Marr is also strong-willed, yet Darth Marr is driven by PRINCIPLE, not mere hedonistic hunger for power. On a personal note, I would consider Darth Marr to be Nietzsche's equivalent to the Übermensch for the Sith. In my opinion, Marr (and a certain playstyle of the Sith Warrior) embodies everything that makes the Sith unique and superior. If the Korriban Academy produced more Sith like Darth Marr, the Empire would know total victory. Addressing the Dark Side of the Force The Dark Side, simply defined, is that knowledge of the Force forbidden by the Jedi. Ancient Jedi and Sith described the dualistic nature of the Force as the "Bogan" (Dark Side) and the "Ashla" (Light Side). But the Force is a physical phenomenon, and such things in and of themselves are neither good nor evil in the same way that gravity is neither good nor evil. Good and evil are defined in terms of ACTION, of INTENT; these things being the concern of sentient beings, not nature itself. So the question becomes what emotions the Dark Side feeds on, the actions those emotions inform, and the context in which those actions are taken. THIS determines "good" and "evil", not simply use of the Bogan. The Dark Side is a tool, nothing more. Tools are neither good nor evil, it is how one uses them. Is a hammer evil? No. Is a hammer evil if it is used for murder? No. It is he who wields the hammer. ... "It is our goal to be stronger, to achieve our potential and not rest upon our laurels. We are the seekers, not the shepherds." ―Yuthura Ban Excellent Post! Agreed with everything you said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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