Lit Jedi and Sith = Yin and Yang?

I've heard it claimed several times that Jedi and Sith = Yin and Yang. Do they, or do they not?

 

They don't...

 

However, it was implied in The Clone Wars that light side/dark side = Yin/Yang. The symbols that were visible in the temple entrance on Ilum (AND in the realm of Mortis) were inteded to denote the balance of the light side and dark side, as can be read here (3rd slide in the trivia slideshow). As a matter of fact, the dark side symbol contains the light side symbol in its center, and vice versa.

 

That is true, although off-topic.

 

I you say so...

 

Well, it seems a bit narrow-minded to assume that Jedi=light side or Sith=dark side, and Jedi+Sith was the original question, so yes, this is a distinct line of inquiry.

 

Most certainly. But "narrowed down" still does not mean "completely off-topic" either. If you only want answers that match your expectations perfectly, get prepared for sore disappointement and soliloquy.

 

The question was about Jedi and Sith. You're answer was not. That is the problem.

 

True. The Dark Side and Light Side are much larger in nature than the Jedi and Sith.

 

It's fine with me, after all. At least I'm certain that you won't harass me (and others) for more answers, like you did with both the "Vong and Sith" and "Red Sith darkside inclination" threads--both in the thread themselves, but also on my profile and in my box ; what if I didn't want to answer immediately? This is the last you'll hear from me on this thread.

 

To say that the Jedi and Sith are Yin and Yang is to give their specific interpretations of the Force (even though they are the closest to 'correct' of any Force tradition) rather more credit than they are worth. The Daughter and the Son can be considered Yin and Yang, but the Jedi and Sith, the musings of Luke Skywalker in Apocalypse aside, do not match their roles.

What you can say is that the Jedi and Sith are two sides to the same coin. Sith philosophy is a dark side version of Jedi philosophy, and the two orders occupy essentially the same roles in the galaxy, only one is affiliated with good and the other with evil.

That is different from other Force using orders with different focuses. The Witches of Dathomir, for example, have their own dark side equivalent in the Nightsisters. The Nightsisters are not interested in galactic conquest in the same way the Sith are, however. In fact, they retain far more in common with the light sides Witches than they do with any Sith.

This is the same for really any Force tradition. They all have their dark versions. It is just that the Sith are the most dangerous because the Jedi claim the most potent of roles. The 'I will protect it all' viewpoint of the Jedi Order becomes the 'Everything is mine' viewpoint of the Sith.

 

Great analysis.

 

Not in any way, shape, or form. Light and Dark? Yes. But Sith are perversion of even the comologically necessary dark side of the Force. Their existence quite literally unhinges the balance of nature itself.

 

fixed

 

what?

 

In Lit, some my questions were being ignored.

 

You know, we're all here for fun. We have no obligation to answer all the questions all the time. Saying that TFN is "hell-bent" on ensuring that nobody answers you is quite... paranoid.

 

This isn't a question and answer centre for threads to be created as such, remember.

 

This is a discussion forum and that is a two-way process that involves more than simply asking question and expecting others to answer them, only to then respond with follow-up questions!

 

In Taoist philosophy, yin and yang are both good, and are meant to be in balance. Evil only arises when there is imbalance.

In Star Wars, the dark side is imbalance/evil. It seems the yin and yang are meant to be the Living Force and the Cosmic Force.

 

The Dark Empire sourcebook handles the topic of the dark side really, really well.

 

In other words, it's not evil, but it's evil!

 

It's been dealt with. Don't worry about it.

 

Not...exactly. Evil is a label attributed to action by intelligence. A shark that kills a person is not evil, for example. The act is gruesome, and the result tragic, but the shark did not act out of malice, instead merely following its natural instinct. It's a part of nature, as much as a storm is merely weather.

The dark side is the wild. The dark side is the unpleasant side of nature. If the light is life, the dark is death, but neither are ultimately good or evil, merely universal forces that act as they must. A person who uses the dark side, a person who causes death—to continue the metaphor—would be evil, bending nature to serve their will rather allow it to occur in harmony with life.