MartinB comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 13, chapter 81 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: bogdanb 27 March 2012 06:07PM

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Comment author: MartinB 28 March 2012 06:59:35PM 2 points [-]

It sounds more like a oath of obedience.

Comment author: Blueberry 28 March 2012 07:25:06PM 0 points [-]

So was the traditional wedding vow... "I promise to love, honor, and obey."

Comment author: bogdanb 28 March 2012 09:18:07PM 1 point [-]

“I promise to love, honor, and obey you”, not “the master or mistress of your house”.

Comment author: Blueberry 28 March 2012 09:21:34PM -2 points [-]

Well, yes, agreed that points more towards an oath of servitude. But I could easily imagine someone marrying me and promising to obey "the master of my house" as a poetic and formal way of referring to me. My point in the comment you were responding to was that obedience is hardly foreign to wedding vows.

Comment author: bogdanb 28 March 2012 09:27:08PM 0 points [-]

Point.

Comment author: pedanterrific 28 March 2012 07:11:30PM 0 points [-]

Yes. I agree. I was just saying that the gender-inclusive language specifically isn't a good reason to think that, given Wizarding Britain's displayed attitude toward homosexuality.

Comment author: ArisKatsaris 29 March 2012 08:23:19AM *  4 points [-]

It's not the "gender inclusiveness" that's the problem, it's the vagueness. Harry is male, why not call him "Master" instead of "Master or Mistress"? It's because the oath is a fealty oath sworn to the House, and after Harry dies, the mastery of his house may pass to a daughter of his (which Hermione would then be still sworn to obey).

Marital oaths are between specific people. In this case obedience was sworn to House Potter, and Harry accepted it as the heir and last scion of House Potter.

Comment author: pedanterrific 29 March 2012 08:39:26AM 0 points [-]

Yes. I agree.