Kindly comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 25, chapter 96 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: NancyLebovitz 25 July 2013 04:36AM

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Comment author: HungryHippo 28 July 2013 09:21:06PM *  3 points [-]

Harry to Dumbledore in Ch. 39:

"... look within the part of yourself that flees not from death but from the fear of death, that finds that fear so unbearable that it will embrace Death as a friend and cozen up to it, try to become one with the night so that it can think itself master of the abyss. You have taken the most terrible of all evils and called it good! With only a slight twist that same part of yourself would murder innocents, and call it friendship. If you can call death better than life then you can twist your moral compass to point anywhere -"

Comment author: Kindly 28 July 2013 09:35:16PM 8 points [-]

I think it's pretty clear that Harry doesn't have a good model of Dumbledore's beliefs at this point. Later on he figures out that:

Dumbledore really wasn't afraid of death. Dumbledore honestly, truly believed that death was the next great adventure. Believed it in his core, not just as convenient words used to suppress cognitive dissonance, not just pretending to be wise.

Comment author: HungryHippo 28 July 2013 09:57:48PM 2 points [-]

Good point! I missed that one.

Comment author: BlindIdiotPoster 29 July 2013 04:11:03AM 0 points [-]

When does he say this?

Comment author: ArisKatsaris 29 July 2013 06:13:35AM *  2 points [-]