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Originally posted by thexrated
"If the ends are good and certain, then they can justify the means. The Empire doesn't follow this philosophy in a utilitarian manner however. They follow a philosophy of domination and power invested by the Emperor. The Sith, in general, follow a similar philosophy (though power is invested in the Sith, and more power in those who can TAKE more power). This is a "might makes right" philosophy, however much they try to pretty it up. They certainly aren't serving the needs of the galaxy by what they are doing."
Actually most Empire's actions were utilitarian. Domination and use of military might  were means to the end. So you are correct about your comment on "might makes right".

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The Utilitarian ethical system is based on the principle of maximizing happiness. The Empire doesn't give a dang about the happiness of their citizens. They are NOT Utilitarian.

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Originally posted by thexrated
Power is means to the end. The vision of Sith Empire is about being very orderly, efficient and uniform while continying to promote progress through strife. This concept is discussed a lot more in Expanded Universe and very superficially in the films.

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No Sith Empire was EVER that orderly in the long run. Conflict through strife and killing superiors when you feel you are better then them (and plotting against each other), inevitably makes things very chaotic. Sure, the Sith claim they love order and that their way is the best, but they don't remotely approach having a stable, orderly government at any point. Palpatine was the closest, and that was only because he was much stronger than Vader (and THAT was only because Vader got all his limbs chopped off and lit on fire). Even his Empire was far from stable or orderly in the long run. Compared to that, the Republic was a far more stable and orderly system.

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Originally posted by thexrated
Also about meritocracy, yes, Empire did promote and give power to people based on a merit above anything else. Also a lot more information outside the films.
No doubt a lot of concepts about Empire vs Republic were taken from history of Rome.

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Yeah, because they sure let all those aliens into positions of power. Oh wait....they didn't. And they also encouraged ideas like using fear to keep order, which is idiotic -- that sort of thinking ALWAYS results in rebellions and trouble. There were ASPECTS of merit to their processes, but those aspects were highly distorted by racism and a foolish philosophy. 

Originally posted by Lundorff

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Originally posted by Drachasor
That's perhaps the most ignorant statement on politics I have EVER read.  Bonus points for being extremely defeatist.

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*Shrugs*

Was just offering my point of view, no need for personal attacks.

I was attacking the statement, not you.  The idea that there is no difference between a political ideology that blows up planets and believes in tyranny and slavery, and another political idealogy that believes and peace, cooperation, and democracy is blatantly ridiculous.
 

Originally posted by someforumguy

That article was clearly meant as satire :)

If you actually agree with whats written in the article and dont think its satire, you really have to think about what you agree with. The author condones the destroying of an inhabited planet to "set an example" and blames it on the lie of a interrogated prisoner lol.

"Whatever the case, the important thing to recognize is that the Empire is not committing random acts of terror. It is engaged in a fight for the survival of its regime against a violent group of rebels who are committed to its destruction."

I have to agree here. The destroying of Alderaan was certainly not a random act of terror lol. There is nothing random about terror to begin with.

Not to mention that he blames the killing of an innocent family on Luke and Obi wan. Luke's family wasnt assisting fugitives. They didnt even know that the droids were  fugitives of the Empire and certainly didnt try hide them. The hiding and assisting didnt take place untill AFTER the family was murdered. 

Furthermore, the author clearly states that he just wants to discuss this based on the movie. But as aid for proving that the Rebellion didnt do any good by killing the Empire, he starts assuming what might happen next after the movies?!

Oh, but yes the Old Republic was evil! Its evil because he blames the system for the corruption of senators (thanks to Senator Palpatine, who will reap the benefits of his plot later on to start the Empire). Not to mention that the seperatists mainly joined based on business interests.

It does seem like satire, especially with the giveaway line:

 "Also, unlike the divine-right Jedi, the Empire is a meritocracy. The Empire runs academies throughout the galaxy (Han Solo begins his career at an Imperial academy), and those who show promise are promoted, often rapidly. In "The Empire Strikes Back" Captain Piett is quickly promoted to admiral when his predecessor "falls down on the job."

but after seeing it's from the weekly standard, which "has been described as a "redoubt of neoconservatism" and as "the neo-con bible", it seems far less likely.

Neo-cons make a career or rationalizing more power for the rich and connected.  This article fits right into their philosophy.

I get the same feeling watching Glenn Beck sometimes.  I think "This HAS to be Satire".  But it's not.

Evil is not a state of mind. Or a walk of life. To call someone "Evil" is one's judgement or rationalization of another. I could go on about this for months, literally. But for the sake of being brief, I will only state a few opinions and facts.

• There is no good or evil, only wrong or right. How you choose to interpret that is entirely up to you. There are people in our world that believe that murder is evil (or wrong). There are others who justify killing innocent and guilty people alike with religion or politics at the forefront of their reasoning. But judgement is arguably just as wrong as murder. With the few points I give here, I won't be able to help you understand. Instead, take any doctrine you've learned throughout the years, any religious preference, throw it out and just look at the world as a whole. Killing happens hourly. Death surrounds us. It is a part of the evolution of life. But murder is merely an over-lying subject.
• The real issue is power. Absolute and corrupt. No matter WHO HAS the power, if that power is absolute, then it is always corrupt. Corruption is often looked at as evil. This is simply a way for people to rationalize (or accept at their own terms) the fact that there are those out there who are corrupt and corrupt others, in return. I am neither good nor evil. I am right and wrong, simultaneously. I am corrupt in ways, but I mean well. I always mean well. For that, I feel I am right. Feelings are the stones from which we step to cross a rolling river who's waters are rising. If we choose the wrong one, we may fall in. Or we may just have to struggle more to stay out of the water. The wrong rocks are more slippery. But they're also the fastest way across. So to reach the other side, we must choose carefully between the two types of rocks.
• The same could be said of a Sith Lord. Anakin, for instance, meant well at first. I feel that his vengeful hatred towards others (as he fully accepted the dark side) was a little over-the-top, but then again, that could've been the midiclorians talking. Lucas may have some opinion on that, but the transition from good to evil was over-simplified drastically in that story.However, some people do choose to be wrong all the time. They prefer to walk on that side of the line. Their reasoning can be relative to yours. Religion plays a key factor in many instances. Extremist Musslims, while very wrong, are not really evil. They do not comprehend the full consequences of their actions, and for the most part, they do not care. But that's corruption, not evil nature. Monkeys oft kill other monkeys just as sharks often kill other sharks. The same could be said for any other species on the planet. The problem with our species is that we feel we have the power to justify right and wrong and label it "good" or "evil", when we don't really bother to understand the entirety of the situation.

But I've said enough. And to anyone who might feel offended (Christians for example) by my rhetoric, please just keep it to yourself. Believe what you want in life, and I'll do the same. Whether you are "right or wrong" remains to be seen.

:)

I like seeing this prompted some fun discussion.

Since when was Evil a matter of perspective? Evil is when you exploit another person to your wantoness of whatever emotion, greed, anger, lust, sadism. It is taking another person's free will for your wantoness. Period. And that is what the Empire does. They force people to satisfy their greed, their lust for power. I don't know whats so difficult to see.

Essentially evil is a mental sickness, it is the absence of the emphathy every normal human mind has, when someone can be cruel without feeling compassion and exploit without remorse.

It is ridiculous to say the Empire is good, by arguing the Jedi and the Republic are not perfect. Of course people make mistakes. The Jedi surely did get too sure of their ways, and sure the Republic does get undermined by corruption. As to the Jedi being not democratic, well he is the news, SOME things can'tbe decided by Democracy, and even in Democracy you have a limitation. You must be 18 or 21 years old, you must be mentally sane. So, with something as powerful as the Force you must create a certain control of who has access to power, because you can see what happens if you don't. You can't just hand any noob the same power than 900 year old Master Yoda! That would be way to dangerous. Jedi are just not universal police, trifling with every crime and evil. They are basically spiritual seekers; that their power is given with blood just is a fact.

This entire argument is absurd. Of course the Jedi and the Republic are the good guys. Just ask yourself, under whose rule would YOU rather live?

Oh my.

That's the most ridiculous article I've ever read.

It has to be comedy, no other explanation.

Anyone that agrees with auhtor's "views" should call a shrink right now.

Spin works both directions.

Good idea Elikal on having the personality type up, hehe.

lol best. convo. ever. Exploitation has such a loose term. [sarc]So one who exploits bugs in a video game is evil. Gotcha.[/sarc]

Evil IS a matter of perspective. I don't believe in such things [good and evil]. That's not to say that I don't believe in having a "good" day, or that my step mum can be a really evil wench sometimes. Because she can. What I do believe in is the power of free will. We all have the capacity to commit murder. To torture. To create and destroy. We are both mortals and gods. Killers and saints. When someone plays GTA, slaughtering innocent bystanders by the dozens in pixelated cold blood, people view that as heinous and repulsive. Yet, you will refuse to believe the same. Hypocrisy is alive in all of us, in one shape or form. We all have our secrets. And no, I'm not referring to surprise birthday parties. Those are pretty cool though. I mean, I don't know first hand, because I've never had a birthday, but I've seen it on TV once. And it was pretty touching. But where was I? Ah, yes, dispursing infinite knowledge to the heretical masses. The dark side of life is in us all. Refusing to believe that is the same as believing in it. That last statement is deeper than your closed mind may comprehend. I am climbing the tallest summit of Mars, while you are busy dwelling in the valley below. What's worse is that I have neverending oxygen, and your's is due to purge in 5-4-3-2-1. You are now dying. Hypocrisy killed you. Not Mars. Don't blame Mars for your hypocritical death, because Mars did nothing but love you. Mars loved you until your dying breath. You hypocrite.

And don't bother holding your hand out for me. I can't see it. I'm at the top of Mt. [insert tallest summit on Mars here], and you are but a tiny speck to me now. While I can see you, I can not tell what you are doing because you're just too tiny. I could get my binoculars out, I guess. But they were destroyed on the magic school bus that crash landed on the surface of the Red Planet. The same school bus that we arrived in together.

But this is all just a metaphor for... stuff. Yeah. It's yours to figure out. Along with my first post, this will make for the most intelligible, hypocritical scuttle butt that you will ever strain your eyes to look away from. Stop straining, though. Your attempts are futile.

Originally posted by Elikal

Since when was Evil a matter of perspective? Evil is when you exploit another person to your wantoness of whatever emotion, greed, anger, lust, sadism. It is taking another person's free will for your wantoness. Period. And that is what the Empire does. They force people to satisfy their greed, their lust for power. I don't know whats so difficult to see.

Essentially evil is a mental sickness, it is the absence of the emphathy every normal human mind has, when someone can be cruel without feeling compassion and exploit without remorse.

Apparently someone's never had a long-term relationship or been married. Also, what "normal" minds do you speak of? I mean, what IS normal? Is it what society - as a whole - does? Because society, as a whole, could easily be classified as insane. You, sitting at your computer desk being completely useless with your ill-spent time, are a prime example. Fifteen minutes ago, you were on a site that I will refrain from mentioning [HINT: rhymes with corn]. Evil. Pure evil.

It is ridiculous to say the Empire is good, by arguing the Jedi and the Republic are not perfect. Of course people make mistakes. The Jedi surely did get too sure of their ways, and sure the Republic does get undermined by corruption. As to the Jedi being not democratic, well he is the news, SOME things can'tbe decided by Democracy, and even in Democracy you have a limitation. You must be 18 or 21 years old, you must be mentally sane. So, with something as powerful as the Force you must create a certain control of who has access to power, because you can see what happens if you don't. You can't just hand any noob the same power than 900 year old Master Yoda! That would be way to dangerous. Jedi are just not universal police, trifling with every crime and evil. They are basically spiritual seekers; that their power is given with blood just is a fact.

This entire argument is absurd. Of course the Jedi and the Republic are the good guys. Just ask yourself, under whose rule would YOU rather live?

So you must also believe that, under some circumstances -if not, all, that the U.S. government is good to her people? Yes? There are many variables within every aspect of good and "evil". Make what you want of them, but don't refer to smarter people as absurd. It's not absurd to be smarter. It's just evolution. And really good weed.

HERESY!!! Your entire face is absurd. Score one for the dark side, Luke. Or should I say, Lucy. FUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRR!!!

In all seriousness... uhhh... no. Wrong.

Originally posted by RoosterNash

Originally posted by Elikal

Since when was Evil a matter of perspective? Evil is when you exploit another person to your wantoness of whatever emotion, greed, anger, lust, sadism. It is taking another person's free will for your wantoness. Period. And that is what the Empire does. They force people to satisfy their greed, their lust for power. I don't know whats so difficult to see.

Essentially evil is a mental sickness, it is the absence of the emphathy every normal human mind has, when someone can be cruel without feeling compassion and exploit without remorse.

It is ridiculous to say the Empire is good, by arguing the Jedi and the Republic are not perfect. Of course people make mistakes. The Jedi surely did get too sure of their ways, and sure the Republic does get undermined by corruption. As to the Jedi being not democratic, well he is the news, SOME things can'tbe decided by Democracy, and even in Democracy you have a limitation. You must be 18 or 21 years old, you must be mentally sane. So, with something as powerful as the Force you must create a certain control of who has access to power, because you can see what happens if you don't. You can't just hand any noob the same power than 900 year old Master Yoda! That would be way to dangerous. Jedi are just not universal police, trifling with every crime and evil. They are basically spiritual seekers; that their power is given with blood just is a fact.

This entire argument is absurd. Of course the Jedi and the Republic are the good guys. Just ask yourself, under whose rule would YOU rather live?

 

HERESY!!! Your entire face is absurd. Score one for the dark side, Luke. Or should I say, Lucy. FUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRR!!!

Good is a state of mind, one as clearly to see as the day when you are at it. There is no grey.

Luke: But how am I to know the good side from the bad?
Yoda: You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

Just as evil is rooted in fear and hate, no matter how smart it may mask itself. Saying there is no clear good and evil IS evil, it is the first door opened, the first temptation to make one less observant and less careful. Once you start justify yourself as "hey, maybe there isn't good and evil at all", you started the first step. I am not speaking about social norms or historically grown values. Such things are humbug, not trivialities like is drinking evil or what. I am talking about mental mainframes. There are two and only two ways of founding your actions, one is good the other is bad. One is caring about the people around you the other is selfish not caring at all. I think that is quite simple. But what society and fashion call virtue has zero to do with that.

Rebels are terrorists looking to instill fear in the hard working people of the empire.

Originally posted by Elikal

Good is a state of mind, one as clearly to see as the day when you are at it. There is no grey.

 

Luke: But how am I to know the good side from the bad?
Yoda: You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

 

Just as evil is rooted in fear and hate, no matter how smart it may mask itself. Saying there is no clear good and evil IS evil, it is the first door opened, the first temptation to make one less observant and less careful. Once you start justify yourself as "hey, maybe there isn't good and evil at all", you started the first step. I am not speaking about social norms or historically grown values. Such things are humbug, not trivialities like is drinking evil or what. I am talking about mental mainframes. There are two and only two ways of founding your actions, one is good the other is bad. One is caring about the people around you the other is selfish not caring at all. I think that is quite simple. But what society and fashion call virtue has zero to do with that.

I have to disagree with this.  While good intent is nice, that doesn't mean you'll have good actions.  If you kill an innocent by accident, but had good intent, that doesn't change the vileness of the act.  Similarly, if you have evil intents, but your actions make the world a better place (perhaps you stop someone from doing something terrible, because it was in your own interest), then that doesn't make your actions evil.  Intent is nice for judging, in a way, what sort of person you are and how you might act in the future, but at the end of the day it is your behavior and the results of that behavior that really matter.  (Beyond that, I think there is certainly grey).
 

history is written by the victor.  sad but true. 

In the given scenario of star wars, if the movies were set with the evil moody music playing during the senate scenes, highlighting Amedalia's use of look alikes as human shields, the Jedi council's allowing individuals to be used and sacrificed for the good of the force (wow, find any choirboys lately mr jedi? :P ), etc, highlighting the sith's goals of bringing down a completely corrupt senate, bringing order, overthrowing the corrupt Jedi council and it's scheming and interference in politics which it was sworn to avoid, etc we'd all think it was a great story about how the ends justify the means (like any movie involving WW2, Rambo, any governator movie, etc...violence by the good guys is never frowned on except by church groups afterall).

welcome to the real world where the "good guy" governments and countries finance genicide, assassination of rivals in other countries, forcing their beliefs on other countries (omfg America!!!!  yeah flame on, it's the truth and we all know it otherwise the US wouldn't be anywhere near as much of a military power overseas forcing their own beliefs on right and wrong on non-christain countries due to their evil ways and  rich resources), forcing other nations into wars, trade blockades, etc.  same shit, but in real life we sugar coat it more and pretend it doesn't bother us, with movies we freely pass judgment on whomever the director/writer/etc decide to make the bad guy and sing the praises of whomever's perspective the film is made in showing them as the good guys.

Originally posted by Elikal

Originally posted by RoosterNash

Originally posted by Elikal

Since when was Evil a matter of perspective? Evil is when you exploit another person to your wantoness of whatever emotion, greed, anger, lust, sadism. It is taking another person's free will for your wantoness. Period. And that is what the Empire does. They force people to satisfy their greed, their lust for power. I don't know whats so difficult to see.

Essentially evil is a mental sickness, it is the absence of the emphathy every normal human mind has, when someone can be cruel without feeling compassion and exploit without remorse.

It is ridiculous to say the Empire is good, by arguing the Jedi and the Republic are not perfect. Of course people make mistakes. The Jedi surely did get too sure of their ways, and sure the Republic does get undermined by corruption. As to the Jedi being not democratic, well he is the news, SOME things can'tbe decided by Democracy, and even in Democracy you have a limitation. You must be 18 or 21 years old, you must be mentally sane. So, with something as powerful as the Force you must create a certain control of who has access to power, because you can see what happens if you don't. You can't just hand any noob the same power than 900 year old Master Yoda! That would be way to dangerous. Jedi are just not universal police, trifling with every crime and evil. They are basically spiritual seekers; that their power is given with blood just is a fact.

This entire argument is absurd. Of course the Jedi and the Republic are the good guys. Just ask yourself, under whose rule would YOU rather live?

 

HERESY!!! Your entire face is absurd. Score one for the dark side, Luke. Or should I say, Lucy. FUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRR!!!

 

Good is a state of mind, one as clearly to see as the day when you are at it. There is no grey.

 

Luke: But how am I to know the good side from the bad?
Yoda: You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

 

Just as evil is rooted in fear and hate, no matter how smart it may mask itself. Saying there is no clear good and evil IS evil, it is the first door opened, the first temptation to make one less observant and less careful. Once you start justify yourself as "hey, maybe there isn't good and evil at all", you started the first step. I am not speaking about social norms or historically grown values. Such things are humbug, not trivialities like is drinking evil or what. I am talking about mental mainframes. There are two and only two ways of founding your actions, one is good the other is bad. One is caring about the people around you the other is selfish not caring at all. I think that is quite simple. But what society and fashion call virtue has zero to do with that.

This is a Mexican Standoff. There are those that believe the terms "evil and good" are simply political propaganda, just as religion is. Then there are those people, like yourself, that believe that religion and the like are only fortunate biproducts of good and evil.

"Evil", if anything, is merely a classification for certain things that people do (whether they want to or HAVE to). I am both evil and good, in that sense. Therefore, I am grey.

The principle of "black and white" being the only ascertainable areas of behavior is a Christian ideal, yet if you were to research the religion from an outsider's prospective (I was raised Christian), you would (assuming you're intelligent enough to think for yourself) realize that there are way too many non-historic overexaggerations. The religion is one of the most flawed religions in the world, yet one of the largest. There are MORE greys within that religion than many care to relate to. But I digress.

I live in a world of grey. I am not the "best" person in the world. But I am also not the "worst". Passion and COMpassion are my main vices.

Also, what you said earlier about someone even thinking in that regard is evil (I may be misquoting or paraphrasing), then those people who play evil characters in games are inherently evil, I would argue.

Originally posted by Drachasor

Originally posted by Elikal

Good is a state of mind, one as clearly to see as the day when you are at it. There is no grey.

 

Luke: But how am I to know the good side from the bad?
Yoda: You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

 

Just as evil is rooted in fear and hate, no matter how smart it may mask itself. Saying there is no clear good and evil IS evil, it is the first door opened, the first temptation to make one less observant and less careful. Once you start justify yourself as "hey, maybe there isn't good and evil at all", you started the first step. I am not speaking about social norms or historically grown values. Such things are humbug, not trivialities like is drinking evil or what. I am talking about mental mainframes. There are two and only two ways of founding your actions, one is good the other is bad. One is caring about the people around you the other is selfish not caring at all. I think that is quite simple. But what society and fashion call virtue has zero to do with that.

I have to disagree with this.  While good intent is nice, that doesn't mean you'll have good actions.  If you kill an innocent by accident, but had good intent, that doesn't change the vileness of the act.  Similarly, if you have evil intents, but your actions make the world a better place (perhaps you stop someone from doing something terrible, because it was in your own interest), then that doesn't make your actions evil.  Intent is nice for judging, in a way, what sort of person you are and how you might act in the future, but at the end of the day it is your behavior and the results of that behavior that really matter.  (Beyond that, I think there is certainly grey).
 

You mistake evil with unlawful. If I kill a man by accident it is against the law, but it is not evil.

The intent is EVERYTHING. There is a wonderful part in the New Testament, where Jesus explains, in the old days you broke the promise of marriage when you dated with another person (simply said), but he says, not when you break your marriage you commit a sin, but already when you think of another. It is the intent with makes good and evil. The action is what makes lawful and unlawful. Those are two different things. It is quite futile to mix those two up.

Back to the topic: again, would ANYONE here really prefer to live under a SIth Empire rather than the Republic? In this term it is really quite simple.

uh oh, time for the christian Luke = Jesus rants thereby proving the Rebels are always in the right, time to don the bible repellent.  Good work of fiction, I'd say first fantasy novel ever published :P

And for the record, yes, I'd rather live with clearly defined laws and punishments, where everyone has and knows his/her role as opposed to a backstabbing political machine where betrayal, treachery and such are hidden behind fluffy clouds of self effacing committee bullshit.  I'd rather live in a Sith controlled sector thanks.

"OMGZ NO, the Imperials blew up Aalderan...they're so evil, quick lets get revenge and blow up that space station that's dumped bazillions of credits into the labor market and is still mostly staffed by mechanics, welders, engineers and their families.....Viva La Rebellione"

Originally posted by Elikal

Originally posted by Drachasor

Originally posted by Elikal

Good is a state of mind, one as clearly to see as the day when you are at it. There is no grey.

 

Luke: But how am I to know the good side from the bad?
Yoda: You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

 

Just as evil is rooted in fear and hate, no matter how smart it may mask itself. Saying there is no clear good and evil IS evil, it is the first door opened, the first temptation to make one less observant and less careful. Once you start justify yourself as "hey, maybe there isn't good and evil at all", you started the first step. I am not speaking about social norms or historically grown values. Such things are humbug, not trivialities like is drinking evil or what. I am talking about mental mainframes. There are two and only two ways of founding your actions, one is good the other is bad. One is caring about the people around you the other is selfish not caring at all. I think that is quite simple. But what society and fashion call virtue has zero to do with that.

I have to disagree with this.  While good intent is nice, that doesn't mean you'll have good actions.  If you kill an innocent by accident, but had good intent, that doesn't change the vileness of the act.  Similarly, if you have evil intents, but your actions make the world a better place (perhaps you stop someone from doing something terrible, because it was in your own interest), then that doesn't make your actions evil.  Intent is nice for judging, in a way, what sort of person you are and how you might act in the future, but at the end of the day it is your behavior and the results of that behavior that really matter.  (Beyond that, I think there is certainly grey).
 

 

You mistake evil with unlawful. If I kill a man by accident it is against the law, but it is not evil.

The intent is EVERYTHING. There is a wonderful part in the New Testament, where Jesus explains, in the old days you broke the promise of marriage when you dated with another person (simply said), but he says, not when you break your marriage you commit a sin, but already when you think of another. It is the intent with makes good and evil. The action is what makes lawful and unlawful. Those are two different things. It is quite futile to mix those two up.

 

Back to the topic: again, would ANYONE here really prefer to live under a SIth Empire rather than the Republic? In this term it is really quite simple.

No, I'm not making a mistake.  This is actually a fairly significant area of discussion in the philosophy of ethics.  It is my stance however, the actions are really the only thing that REALLY matters in the end.  Intent is useful insofar as it can help determine future behavior.
 

I would say killing someone by accident is evil.  That doesn't mean the person who did that is evil, but the act is bad.  Of course, we need a proper definition of good and evil to evaluate these things.  I'd say "good" are those things that improve the well-being of others.  "Evil" are those things that damage the well-being of others.  Some acts do neither, some acts do both, and a lot of acts do one or the other.  Anyhow, killing someone is evil, whether it is intended or not.  Obviously the law recognizes the importance of intent here, and if it truly was an accident and you were not at fault in any way, then it lets you off (it in fact, was not unlawful);  If you were negligent, then the law punishes you; etc.

Anyhow, from a practical standpoint, judging good and evil by acts is really the way to go.  Reading minds is not easy and would not even always be helpful in determining good and evil (a lot of people just don't think about that sort of thing, and even if they do acts that are evil they didn't necessarily intend to do evil; it's just negligence).  An act is eminently observable, and harm or help to another is also easy to determine.  Going by intent, then you could judge someone in authority to be doing good even if their actions resulted in the death of millions because they're so incompetent -- a definition by intent just isn't that useful and easily results in very jarring announcements.  Further, a definition by intent doesn't really encourage people to behave better, but rather to just think nice things, and that's not a very useful goal for society.  A definition by act gets better results and thinking goes along with that nicely since you need to think about the consequences of your behavior.

Originally posted by blackthornn

"OMGZ NO, the Imperials blew up Aalderan...they're so evil, quick lets get revenge and blow up that space station that's dumped bazillions of credits into the labor market and is still mostly staffed by mechanics, welders, engineers and their families.....Viva La Rebellione"

There's no reason to think there were families on board.  In any case, just because the evil tyrannical, enslaving, genocidal enemy fills their military installations with innocents doesn't mean you should just sit back and let those military installations destroy freedom and even more innocents.  It's a fact about reality that sometimes the right thing to do is not the cleanest thing to do.  It's unfortunate that if innocents were on the Death Star the Rebellion couldn't magically transport them off (certainly the Rebellion would have if it was possible), but definitely the best action they had available was blowing it up.
 

"The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1922, the British Empire held sway over a population of about 458 million people, one-quarter of the world's population,[1] and covered more than 13,000,000 square miles (33,670,000 km2): approximately a quarter of the Earth's total land area.[2] As a result, its political, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was often said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because its span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least one of its numerous territories." - wiki

All this without Sith and Jedi.... Maybe it's time for the Empire to strike back? lol