Star Wars and Philosophy More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine

The Star Wars films continue to revolutionize science fiction, creating new standards for cinematographic excellence, and permeating popular culture around the world. The films feature many complex themes ranging from good versus evil and moral development and corruption to religious faith and pragmatism, forgiveness and redemption, and many others.

The essays in this volume tackle the philosophical questions from these blockbuster films including: Was Anakin predestined to fall to the Dark Side? Are the Jedi truly role models of moral virtue? Why would the citizens and protectors of a democratic Republic allow it to descend into a tyrannical empire? Is Yoda a peaceful Zen master or a great warrior, or both? Why is there both a light and a dark side of the Force? Star Wars and Philosophy ponders the depths of these subjects and asks what it truly means to be mindful of the "living force."

Kevin S. Decker teaches philosophy at Saint Louis University. He's quite clever, you know-for a human being. Jason T. Eberl is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He can ask for directions to the nearest Starbucks in more than six million forms of communication.