Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Laurefindel" data-source="post: 9743496" data-attributes="member: 67296">Poison definitely has meaning and is a useful everyday tool to describe things. Because of warning symbols, I know that I need to be more careful around bleach than salt, even if they are both chlorine products. But like ‘Evil’, ‘Poison’ leaves no room for subtlety or quantification, which I think is important is some discussions.In the case at hand, whether Obi Wan committed an evil act in mind controlling the stormtrooper in ANH, i think the discussion requires more subtlety than a yes/no answer. With the poison analogy, Obi Wan gave the stormtrooper an indigestion, or a laxative; not exactly pure kindness. He moved around the stormtrooper obstacle in a non-lethal way. Was it wrong to use mind control? Probably. Was it worse than straight up killing the guard, probably not. Was it worse than remaining complicit and inactive against an Evil empire? Debatable. Must Obi Wan be labeled as evil because he used mind control? That’s where I have to say no. I think on the contrary, that his first offensive act in an open conflict was relatively ethical.At any case, I think that Obi Wan could have slept that night (well, let’s say’s this is not the incident that would have weighted heavily on his conscience on that day), which he might not have if mind control was irrevocably evil.</blockquote>