Star Wars and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy Series) - Kevin Decker [31]
Just as Plato requires a training program that combines physical and mental skills, so does Yoda. The training you’ll receive will probably be similar to the training young Luke Skywalker receives from Yoda, since you’re probably nearer his age than younger padawans. Throughout his training, Luke questions Yoda about good and evil, the Force, and other concepts important to a Jedi. Likewise, Plato’s Republic features a question-and-answer interplay between teacher and students as Socrates’s “padawans” question him about justice and injustice, the nature of the Good, and the ideal government.
The first step in the Jedi training Yoda imposes on Luke is intensely physical. Its point is not only to increase his endurance but to provide a crash course in Jedi virtues of discipline and persistence. By developing endurance, a Jedi padawan has the capacity to work his way through difficulties despite the frustration inherent in the task. One will learn to continue striving in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and defeat. Endurance, requiring self-control, provides a padawan with the ability to struggle over an extended time to achieve their goals. On Dagobah, the Jedi Master pushes his young student to the limit. Racing in and out of the heavy ground fog with Yoda on his back, Luke is winded as he climbs, flips through the air, and leaps over roots. Yet, he endures and continues striving.
A Balancing Act
The next step in Luke’s training is to learn physical balance. He stands on his head while Yoda perches on the soles of his feet. Like the other physical exercises, this one also has a predominantly mental objective. It requires such great concentration that nothing can distract him. By maintaining his balance, Luke is in control of himself and the circumstances around him.
Perhaps Plato’s padawan, Aristotle, can help us understand the importance of balance. To avoid being overcome by strong emotions, Aristotle recommends that we have the right balance of virtue—the “Golden Mean.” Here, all actions can be evaluated on a scale of excess to deficiency. Virtue is “the mean” or the intermediate between excess and deficiency. It’s a balanced action responding to a particular situation at the right time, in relation to the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way. For instance, you can fear something either too much or too little. Fearing too much may lead to cowardice, as when Chewie ran from the Dianoga in A New Hope. Fearing too little, as was the case when Anakin rushed headlong to confront Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones, may lead to rashness, both undesirable traits. The balanced trait, that is, the virtue between fearing too much or too little, is virtue.
Suppose you face an ethical dilemma and fear making a decision because you have only incomplete information regarding the circumstances. You want to make the best decision possible and so try to collect as much information as you can. But, in reality, that’s often not possible. Saddled with incomplete information, you may fear making a decision that might end up being wrong. But perhaps it’s worse not to attempt to find a solution to the dilemma than to risk making a mistake, and so you rationally conclude that you shouldn’t fear making such a mistake. Reason can help remove excess fear about being wrong, as well as inspire a proper respect for the gravity of the situation. By balancing too much fear against too little fear, you can attain the virtue of courage.
We see this illustrated near the end of Luke’s training period. Sensing that his friends are in pain and suffering, he asks Yoda, “Will they die?” But