JoshuaZ comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread - Less Wrong

34 Post author: Unnamed 27 May 2010 12:10AM

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Comment author: gwern 31 July 2010 10:48:45AM 6 points [-]

I have to say, for a blog (?) focused on good writing and story structure, that's a really terrible essay/brain-dump - highly repetitive, problems mostly alluded to rather than described, fact & citation-free, and very very ranty. (I suspect I'd also find a number of self-contradictions if I cared to re-read.)

If it didn't have the occasional good insight, I'd never have finished reading it. I did, but I still hate essays which are intermittent reinforcement schedules.

But here's one good point. By the end, the real sin of Voldemort is not being evil, but in seeking to avoid death. Rowling implicitly seems to be saying: 1) you can't live forever 2) you shouldn't avoid death 3) death is good.

LWers may grudgingly accept #1 ('fine, I can't live for ∞ but can't I live for a few thousand years at least?'), but I think we all pretty much vociferously disagree with #2 & 3. And if we were put into the Potterverse, I think we would pretty quickly all go over to the Dark side.

And that observation suddenly changes my interest in MoR from 'what is Quirrelmort's grand plan?' to 'how does Harry rewrite Good & Evil and fix that sordid little world?'

Comment author: JoshuaZ 31 July 2010 02:43:13PM 5 points [-]

But here's one good point. By the end, the real sin of Voldemort is not being evil, but in seeking to avoid death. Rowling implicitly seems to be saying: 1) you can't live forever 2) you shouldn't avoid death 3) death is good.

LWers may grudgingly accept #1 ('fine, I can't live for ∞ but can't I live for a few thousand years at least?'), but I think we all pretty much vociferously disagree with #2 & 3. And if we were put into the Potterverse, I think we would pretty quickly all go over to the Dark side.

Would we go the Dark Side? I'm not sure. I think most people here would not murder someone to get the chance at a few extra centuries of life. And it seems that making a Philosopher's Stone is not a Dark Side event, although why no one other than Nicholas Flamel makes one is never made clear.

And that observation suddenly changes my interest in MoR from 'what is Quirrelmort's grand plan?' to 'how does Harry rewrite Good & Evil and fix that sordid little world?'

Mass produce Philosopher's Stones maybe?

Comment author: gwern 01 August 2010 07:37:39AM 0 points [-]

Mass produce Philosopher's Stones maybe?

I'm afraid that still puts us on the Dark Side; even wise and great Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel weren't allowed to use a single PS for, at max, more than 4 centuries. Indefinite use by any joe schmoe...