pedanterrific comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 17, chapter 86 - Less Wrong

9 Post author: Alsadius 17 December 2012 07:19AM

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Comment author: pedanterrific 18 December 2012 06:36:22PM 0 points [-]

Presumably it wouldn't even affect the Horcruxes if they're hidden where we think they are. It would serve to make them kind of pointless, though. Eternity alone in a hellish wasteland, yay!

Comment author: MugaSofer 18 December 2012 07:42:20PM *  0 points [-]

Well, he doesn't seem to mind the thought of "eternity alone". Although on reflection a canon Horcrux could be damaged by a fang and a sword, so they would probably just be atomized if exposed directly to a nuclear blast. Although if one of them is floating in magma...

Comment author: pedanterrific 18 December 2012 10:33:15PM *  1 point [-]

Yeah, one's floating in magma- and none of the others are in places they would be exposed to a direct nuclear blast in the event of nuclear holocaust, either.

And even if they were... the reason the fang and sword (and Fiendfyre) worked is because the criterion for destroying a Horcrux is "damaged beyond magical repair". Basilisk venom and cursed fire both have a distinctly magical quality of "no takebacks". Who knows of being reduced to constituent atoms by mundane means counts? (Probably it does, but it isn't certain.)

But I assume it bothers him because if he wanted humanity eradicated, he could have accomplished it by now. And he didn't seem to take any pleasure in his belief that

"Those fool Muggles will kill us all someday!" Professor Quirrell's voice had grown louder. "They will end it! End all of it!"

[...]

"Yes, nuclear weapons!" Professor Quirrell was almost shouting now. "Even He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named never used those, perhaps because he didn't want to rule over a heap of ash! They never should have been made! And it will only get worse with time! [...] The eager little fools who discovered the secret of nuclear weapons didn't keep it to themselves, they told their fool politicians and now we must live under the constant threat of annihilation!"

Comment author: MugaSofer 19 December 2012 01:32:15AM 0 points [-]

Oh, I know they aren't exxactly exosed in any case; but floating in magma implies some pretty hefty protective charms.

The thing about that quote that bothers me is that he seems the be referring to himself as "one of us", genuinely worried that his world is in danger - not just cooly amused at their folly, or even irritated by their incompetence. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

... or maybe he's worried that without followers, there's no-one to bring him back? Spending time as "less than the meanest ghost" is implied to be unpleasant in canon IIRC.

Comment author: mjr 20 December 2012 04:31:06PM 1 point [-]

Who knows of being reduced to constituent atoms by mundane means counts? (Probably it does, but it isn't certain.)

It still doesn't make it certain to work for such a case in particular, but Snape's "From the rumors I have heard, Headmaster, Muggle weapons are only slightly worse than the more... recondite aspects of wizardry" seems to be evidence towards counting.

Comment author: pedanterrific 20 December 2012 04:54:15PM 1 point [-]

I had taken that to refer to the scale of mass destruction possible, but good point.