blogospheroid comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread - Less Wrong
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Well, yes, death is irreversible in the HP universe, but there's definitely an afterlife of some kind or another.
You said it correctly here, CronoDAS. That is the exact meaning I wanted to convey - the transition is irreversible, but there is some sort of existence. Though according to the story of the second brother in deathly hallows, it does seem to be some kind of a diminished existence, unlike in Star Wars where Obi Wan states, "more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
To be fair, in SW, the Force ghosts never do anything particularly powerful. (Even in the EU, the most powerful Force ghosts, like Exar Kun, usually must act through agents.) If Obi-Wan's statement is anything more than rhetoric (and it's never safe to just rule out 'it's rhetorical/symbolic'), it's a reference to Luke, who at least in the EU is basically the most powerful Force-user ever.
Further reading: Wookieepedia