Hudgins on "Star Wars" History Channel Special

[Ed Hudgins]

[Guys, here's my latest media appearance, different from the usual public policy stuff!]

Edward Hudgins, executive director of The Atlas Society, is one of the interviewees featured on the History Channel special Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed[/i].

The show will air Monday, May 28 at 9:00pm Eastern Time, with repeats later.

This special marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the first film in the successful sci-fi series. It also features interviews with news announcer Tom Brokaw, writer Camille Paglia, politico Newt Gingrich, and director Peter Jackson.

Hudgins came to the show's attention through his articles on the politics and philosophy behind the latest installments of George Lucas's epic. In a piece posted on National Review Hudgins observed that in "Attack of the Clones," Lucas treats the question of how republics become tyrannies. The writer-director is right to show the dangers of concentrated political power and government corruption, although he is confused about the role of commerce in a republic.

In his piece on "Are the Sith Selfish?" Hudgins says that Lucas's final film in the series is like a Greek tragedy and, as in the Iliad, we see the dangers of unchecked emotions. But Hudgins does criticize the confused moral message about how too deep an attachment to what one values most in life can lead to the "dark side."

Hudgins You can read Hudgins's reviews at the URLs below.

"Star Wars and Falling Republics":

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment- hudgins052002.asp

"Star Wars: Are The Sith Selfish?":

http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth--1610- Star_Wars_Are_the_Sith_Selfish.aspx

[studiodekadent]

Ed,

I read your piece on the Star Wars morality of the Sith vs. Jedi's a while ago and I have always enjoyed it. In the end, the Jedi philosophy, that 'attachment leads to the dark side', works out to the idea that valuing anything is wrong.

In other words, the only way to remain 'good' is complete and utter moral indifference to anything at all. Read, moral nihilism. This is typical of most modern so-called-Liberals, whose skepticism about everything leads them to the conclusion that any strong conviction at all is dangerous.

Terrible ideas arent they? Ahh well, we cannot expect Lucas to be a philosopher.

[Chris Grieb]

I keep looking for a time for the show. Did anyone else see Star Wars in the first week?

[Chris Grieb]

The time for the show is 9pm Monday EST.