Stoicism
Jul 25, 2006People who don't seem affected by emotions are often called "stoic." But there's a lot more to Stoicism than simply being unaffected.
Is Yoda a Stoic?
Eliane Mitchell
15 February 2018
It might surprise you, but according to philosophy professor William Stephens, “The code of the Jedi is Stoicism 101.”
In Ancient Greece, around 300 B.C., Stoic philosophy gained an appreciable following. The Stoics taught that “true power is self-mastery.” To live a good life, they also believed that one must live in harmony with nature.
Yoda and the Jedi impart similar lessons, says Stephens, by teaching Luke to discipline his mind to harmonize with the logic of the Force. “To find the good, the Light Side of the Force,” Stephens summarizes Yoda’s advice to Luke, one has to remain calm, mindful, and unafraid. Both Yoda and the Stoics teach us lessons that are good for us all.
Check out the article here:
https://www.creighton.edu/creightonmagazine/2017fallunewsstarwars/
And tune into this week's show, The 5th (Mostly) Annual Dionysus Awards, where our hosts talk to philosophers, film critics, and listeners presenting nominations for the most philosophically compelling movies of the year.
Comments (1)
Harold G. Neuman
Friday, February 16, 2018 -- 10:27 AM
The traditions and practicesThe traditions and practices of Eastern martial arts also seem to stem from some wellspring of stoic thought, and so, to suggest that the Jedi code is Stoicism 101 only partially characterizes the attitude and behaviors of the little Star Wars gnome. There have also been such ways of harmonic existence in other societies: many native peoples were adept at the art of living off the land without desecrating or destroying it. Such people/societies were around, long before the story from long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Many of them have come and gone, largely because others DID NOT learn the lessons that are good for us all: the story of civilization, in a paragraph...