Star Wars and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy Series) - Kevin Decker [104]
In this chapter, we’ll explore the important matter of “when to believe” by first looking at the skeptical position of the nineteenth-century philosopher William Clifford, and then putting this position to the test with the help of arguments from the famous pragmatist philosopher William James. A pragmatist is a person who is committed to a practical and human view of the world and of epistemology. Pragmatists like James argue that in addition to reasons that show the truth of what we believe, there are also practical reasons to believe in something. We’ll call the former reasons truth-conducive and the latter pragmatic. We’ll see that William James’s position, that a pragmatic faith belief can be a positive thing, indeed our salvation, is exemplified well by Luke Skywalker.
“A Lot of Simple Tricks and Nonsense”
In his 1874 article, “The Ethics of Belief,”163 William Clifford tells us that faith is “wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone.”164 It’s easy to see how one could maintain that faith, or believing upon insufficient evidence, is wrong in an epistemic sense (that it may not lead to knowing a truth); but Clifford believes it is also morally wrong. To explain why he thinks faith is immoral, Clifford tells us this story: A shipowner is about to send a ship full of immigrants to the new land. The shipowner is warned that the ship is old and weathered and not overly well built at the start, and may not make the long journey. Although he could have the ship inspected and repaired if necessary, the shipowner decides to trust in Providence. “It has made many voyages,” he reasons. “Surely, it will make this one also.” Ultimately, the ship sinks and the immigrants all perish. Now, we can see why Clifford believes faith is morally wrong. It can lead to disastrous consequences. But what if the ship had made it to the new land successfully? In that case too, says Clifford, the shipowner would be guilty, “because he had no right to believe on such evidence as was before him.”165
When Luke turns off the targeting computer of his X-wing fighter and “uses the Force” to blow up the Death Star, he is guilty of the sin of faith. What makes holding a belief immoral is not simply a matter of whether that belief is true or false, or even whether it is fruitful or unfruitful, but rather of how it originated. The danger of faith is not only that we might have a false belief or even that we should pass on a false belief to others, although this is bad enough. Still worse, if we should be in the habit of not seeking justification for our beliefs, we may become overly credulous and thus, savage, like the barbarous Sand People of Tatooine.
Han Solo, at least the Han that we meet at the beginning of A New Hope, seems to be a skeptic like Clifford. Although he congratulates Luke on blowing up the Death Star, we can imagine how vexed he would have been if he were privy to Luke’s unorthodox method. He believes the Force is nothing but “a lot of simple tricks and nonsense,” and “no match for a good blaster at your side.” We’ve all known people who adhere blindly to what they were taught as a child, never exposing themselves to experiences which might make them doubt. Clifford tells us that the life of such a person “is one long sin against mankind,”166 and I believe he has a good point. We’d hardly respect Luke if he had refused to enter the cave on Dagobah where he faced his doubts and the knowledge of the Dark Side within himself. But does this mean that faith is always wrong?
“I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing”
Of course, faith is not always advisable. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke has unwarranted faith in his abilities as a Jedi and foolishly leaves his training with Yoda to try to help his friends. This faith backfires