Dark side

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This article is about aspects of magical theory. For other uses, see Dark side (disambiguation).

In various theories of magic and religion, the Dark Side describes the less benevolent approaches to use of the magical forces. It is widely used in almost all European cultures.

1 Origins
2 Problems
3 Mood
4 Uses

[edit] Origins

The term "dark side" comes from humans' instinctual fear of the dark. It began in the dark ages, when warriors would refer to evil as dark. It has continued through today. The term was made popular by the series Star Wars.

[edit] Problems

Evil attitudes have historically been a possible result from fear of the dark. In later years women who dressed dark often would often be tried as witches and burned, drowned, or hanged. In some conservative circles, someone who dresses in dark colors could be slandering, gossiped about, or criticized.

[edit] Mood

Darkness is typically associated, in the Occident, with evil. Moods affiliated with the Dark Side usually involve selfishness, intolerance, impatience, anger, greed, jealousy, and most of all hate. The dark side is also associated with the fear of loss, and a lust for power. The association of Dark with bad or evil desires exists in contrast to the association of Light with good or virtuous desires, especially those that exist outside the circle of personal gain and impulse.

[edit] Uses

Dark-side ideas vary between Manichean and yin-yang-styles of contrast: The Harry Potter novels are in this tradition: though they involve characters seeming to vacillate in their willingness to follow what Remus Lupin calls "the Dark Side", those who do are clearly the villains of the series.

In contrast to these, the Sith philosophy of Star Wars is treated as excessive in its commitment to "the Dark Side of the Force", and makes it the enemy of the Jedi, but the opposing Jedi philosophy advocates balance between those two sides rather than declaring the Dark Side inherently evil. A reference to North Dartmouth, a neighbourhood in Halifax Regional Municipality.