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knb comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 2 - Less Wrong
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The following is my speculation about where the plot of the story is going. It is just speculation, but on the off-chance that any of it is correct and non-obvious, it will contain spoilers.
Solid control by a central authority seems to be more difficult for magic folks. (e.g. A few dozen Death Eaters nearly brought down the government). I assume this is because Apparition makes control of transport impossible, everyone having wands makes control of dangerous weapons impossible, and the Imperius curse makes central authority untrustworthy and spreads paranoia.
Voldemort realized that the situation doesn't have a democratic/liberal/libertarian solution and that an enlightened despotism is the only way to prevent another Dark Lord from rising up every few decades to seize control. Because of this, Voldemort, who really is a Light Lord, used his campaign of terror to try to take control of the Ministry of Magic, and impose his absolute, magically enforced rule over everyone.... Until he was defeated by baby Harry. Now, he is using his new form and identity to identify the best possible new Light Lord at Hogwarts (hence the war-games).
He will groom the new candidate to be his replacement, then stage his return as evil Voldemort, be defeated by the new Light Lord, who will bring peace and order as the absolute dictator.
Premise...
Conclusion?
My point, if it wasn't clear, is that since "solid control by a central authority" is harder for magic folks, they can't rely on a soft-touch liberal democratic rule. They would have to rely on harder methods of keeping the peace--some kind of ubiquitous magical monitoring system.
Right, so a magical dictator can only achieve about the level of central authority that a Muggle democracy has. Meanwhile, magical Stalin is simply not possible. (That doesn't stop Dark Lords from trying to become magical Stalin, because they are irrational. But they never succeed, even though they cause a lot of problems while they try.)
However, I very much doubt that MoR!Voldemort will turn out to have been Light All Along (I don't know the proper TVTrope name for that). This would require major departures from canon as to how he went about it in 1980. Or at least he would have to have been very confident, extremely unimaginative, and positively jesuitical in using his ends to justify his means.
A Dark (or Light) Lord could centralize way more than Stalin ever did, thanks to the Marks. (How much do we know about how they work, other than they need to be taken willingly?)
...unless you use a Mark. Which only a dictator can require.
There were still traitors. Snape was Marked, and spied. Karkaroff was Marked, and ran.
I suspect that the Mark, like many things, is rather more powerful in MoR than in canon.
Where 'many things' includes 'simple consistency'. Although come to think of it the characters are more consistent in canon while (magical-)physics is more consistent in MoR. A difference in emphasis.
Yep, thanks Pavitra.