Sample Case Study Page

Case Study: False Dilemma: Darth Vader's absolutes in Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith


Contributed by Stacey Berry (@imogen66 ) When: During the near end of the clone wars

Where: The Galaxy

Context
The dark side of the Force is a concept which represents a corruptive and addictive aspect of the Force that is rejected by the Jedi, who view it as evil. The series' villains, the Sith, embrace the dark side in order to seize power. As portrayed in all Star Wars-related media, the dark side provides powers similar to those of the Jedi, but draws energy from passion and violence, an energy that is enhanced by negative raw and aggressive emotions and instinctual feelings such as anger, greed, hatred, and rage. It is embraced by the Sith as their source of power. Extended indulgence of the dark side creates a loss of humanity, morality, empathy, and the ability to love, leaving the Sith amoral, cruel, selfish, sadistic and violent. Considering this dark change in personality to be a transformation into a different person altogether, when some turn to the dark side, they take on different names, as their former persona and identity is dead and destroyed. ("The Dark Side". The Force. Wikipedia)

In the 2005 film Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vadar and Obi-Wan Kenobi have an exchange that illustrates the false dilemma logical fallacy "Obi-Wan Kenobi: You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now, until now you've become the very thing you swore to destroy.""Anakin Skywalker : Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan! I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.""Obi-Wan Kenobi : Your new Empire?""Anakin Skywalker : Don't make me kill you.""Obi-Wan Kenobi : Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy.""Anakin Skywalker: If you're not with me, then you're my enemy.""Obi-Wan Kenobi : [ realizing that Anakin is consumed by evil and there's no reasoning with him anymore ] Only a Sith deals in absolutes.""[ draws his lightsaber ]""Obi-Wan Kenobi : I will do what I must.""Anakin Skywalker : You will try.""[ draws his lightsaber and confronts Obi-Wan ]"

How it works
"A false dilemma, is a logical fallacy which involves presenting two opposing views, options or outcomes in such a way that they seem to be the only possibilities: that is, if one is true, the other must be false, or, more typically, if you do not accept one then the other must be accepted. The reality in most cases is that there are many in-between or other alternative options, not just two mutually exclusive ones.

In other words, there are two ways in which one can commit a false dilemma. First, one can assume that there are only two (or three, though that case is strictly speaking be a “false trilemma”) options when there really are many more. Second, one can take the options to be mutually exclusive when they really are not."(http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/False_dilemma)