If he did not have personal experience with force users, or had not seen them successfully use their abilities, that explains how he would not see them as being demonstrated in the current running of the empire. What he would see is a lot of people pulling off massive industrial and military accomplishments being dismissed by Vader as less important than the force, which is generally subtle and difficult to see by non-force users.
“Don’t try to frighten us with your sorcerer’s ways, Lord Vader! Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the rebels’ hidden fort—”
He is being dismissive of the effectiveness of the force based on his personal experiences, not denying its existence.
Fair enough. I had a really long response but it got deleted, so I’ll just summarize. If he knew a single one of Vader’s accomplishments (rumors of them were definitely spread by the witnesses), he would’ve never believed that. Vader served the important purpose of striking fear into those that would oppose the Empire, keeping most of the galaxy in line. He probably served as an officer in the Republic as well, possibly alongside the Jedi. Even if he didn’t, he’s in a room full of people that did. It’s ridiculously stupid to insult your extremely violent boss, especially about something that he’s provably correct about.
If he did not have personal experience with force users, or had not seen them successfully use their abilities, that explains how he would not see them as being demonstrated in the current running of the empire. What he would see is a lot of people pulling off massive industrial and military accomplishments being dismissed by Vader as less important than the force, which is generally subtle and difficult to see by non-force users.
He is being dismissive of the effectiveness of the force based on his personal experiences, not denying its existence.
Fair enough. I had a really long response but it got deleted, so I’ll just summarize. If he knew a single one of Vader’s accomplishments (rumors of them were definitely spread by the witnesses), he would’ve never believed that. Vader served the important purpose of striking fear into those that would oppose the Empire, keeping most of the galaxy in line. He probably served as an officer in the Republic as well, possibly alongside the Jedi. Even if he didn’t, he’s in a room full of people that did. It’s ridiculously stupid to insult your extremely violent boss, especially about something that he’s provably correct about.