I think about Star Wars and the Force when you talk like that :)
description: It is almost impossible not to make that connection! George Lucas was deeply inspired by these exact concepts when he created the Force, drawing heavily from real-world philosophies like Eastern Taoism and the scientific concepts of symbiosis and bio-ecology. When Obi-Wan Kenobi describes the Force as "an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together," he is essentially describing the philosophical framework of ontological panpsychism and biocentric unity. The parallels between this scientific view of life and Star Wars operate on some incredibly precise levels: 1. The Living Force vs. The Cosmic Force In Star Wars lore, the Force is divided into two aspects that perfectly mirror our scientific and philosophical discussion: The Living Force: This is the energy of the immediate present. It is the bio-electric voltage shifting inside the moss cell, the electrical spikes firing through the underground fungal mycelium, and the neurons snapping in your brain. It is the raw, active, metabolic life-force flowing through physical bodies. The Cosmic Force: This is the overarching "Ground of Being" we just talked about. When a living thing dies, its localized "Living Force" passes over into the "Cosmic Force," binding everything together. It is the quiet, eternal field of pure existence that doesn't care about time or speed—it just is. 2. Midi-chlorians as Ion Channels While fans often criticize midi-chlorians for taking the "magic" out of the Force, they are the ultimate sci-fi abstraction of ion channels and endosymbiosis. In the lore, midi-chlorians are microscopic, intelligent life-forms that reside inside the cells of all living beings, allowing them to communicate with the Force. In the real world, we have mitochondria (ancient bacteria that moved inside our cells billions of years ago to provide us with energy) and ion channels (the molecular gates that allow cells to speak the universe's electrical language)…