Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy

Jason T. Eberl is the Semler Endowed Chair for Medical Ethics and Professor of Philosophy at Marian University in Indianapolis, where he teaches bioethics, ethics, and medieval philosophy. He authored Thomistic Principles and Bioethics (2006), and is the editor of Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008) and co-editor of Sons of Anarchy and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).Kevin S. Decker is Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Washington University, where he teaches ethics, American and Continental Philosophy, and philosophy of popular culture. He is the editor or co-editor of five previous books on pop culture including Terminator and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), Ender’s Game and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013), The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013) and Who is Who? The Philosophy of Doctor Who (2013).Together, Eberl and Decker are the editors of Star Wars and Philosophy (2005).

• Acknowledgments: Legacy of the Force ixIntroduction: “The Circle is Now Complete” 1I The Philosophical Menace 51 The Platonic Paradox of Darth Plagueis: How Could a Sith Lord Be Wise? 7Terrance MacMullan2 “You Are Asking Me to Be Rational”: Stoic Philosophy and the Jedi Order 20Matt Hummel3 The Jedi Knights of Faith: Anakin, Luke, and Søren (Kierkegaard) 31William A. Lindenmuth4 Anakin and Achilles: Scars of Nihilism 42Don Adams5 Dark Times: The End of the Republic and the Beginning of Chinese Philosophy 53Kevin S. DeckerII Attack of the Morals 656 Chasing Kevin Smith: Was It Immoral for the Rebel Alliance to Destroy Death Star II? 67Charles C. Camosy7 The Ballad of Boba Fett: Mercenary Agency and Amoralism in War 79David LaRocca8 How Guilty is Jar Jar Binks? 90Nicolas Michaud9 “Know the Dark Side”: A Theodicy of the Force 100Jason T. EberlIII Revenge of the Alliance 11510 “Like My Father before Me”: Loss and Redemption of Fatherhood in Star Wars 117Charles Taliaferro and Annika Beck11 The Friends of a Jedi: Friendship, Family, and Civic Duty in a Galaxy at War 127Greg Littmann12 Light Side, Dark Side, and Switching Sides: Loyalty and Betrayal in Star Wars 136Daniel Malloy13 Guardians and Tyrants in the Republics of Star Wars and Plato 148Adam Barkman and Kyle AlkemaIV A New Hermeneutic 15914 Pregnant Padme and Slave Leia: ´ Star Wars’ Female Role Models 161Cole Bowman15 Docile Bodies and a Viscous Force: Fear of the Flesh in Return of the Jedi 172Jennifer L. McMahon16 Of Battle Droids and Zillo Beasts: Moral Status in the Star Wars Galaxy 183James M. OkapalV Metaphysics Strikes Back 19317 Why the Force Must Have a Dark Side 195George A. Dunn18 What is It Like to Be a Jedi? A Life in the Force 208Marek McGann19 “Never Tell Me the Odds”: An Inquiry Concerning Jedi Understanding 219Andrew Zimmerman JonesVI Return of the Non-Human 22920 Mindless Philosophers and Overweight Globs of Grease: Are Droids Capable of Thought? 231Dan Burkett21 Can Chewie Speak? Wittgenstein and the Philosophy of Language 240Rhiannon Grant and Myfanwy Reynolds22 Can the Zillo Beast Strike Back? Cloning, De-extinction, and the Species Problem 250Leonard FinkelmanVII The Fandom Awakens 26123 “In That Time . . . ” in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Epic Myth-Understandings and Myth-Appropriation in Star Wars 263John Thompson24 Star Wars, Emotions, and the Paradox of Fiction 274Lance Belluomini25 The Mind of Blue Snaggletooth: The Intentional Stance, Vintage Star Wars Action Figures, and the Origins of Religion 287Dennis Knepp26 Gospel, Gossip, and Ghent: How Should We Understand the New Star Wars? 296Roy T. Cook and Nathan KellenContributors: Troopers of the 501st Legion 308Index 317