buybuydandavis comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, March 2015, chapter 120 - Less Wrong

1 Post author: Gondolinian 12 March 2015 07:03PM

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Comment author: buybuydandavis 12 March 2015 10:05:30PM 15 points [-]

I'm struck with Dumbledore's ruthlessness.

Pretend to kill someone to keep your enemies in line, but really just stash them away to be used as a trump card again later, whether as a hostage or a way to reconcile with your enemy. That's good.

"There's only one way to hurt a man who's lost everything. Give him back something broken."

  • Stephen Donaldson
Comment author: Arran_Stirton 12 March 2015 11:51:11PM 8 points [-]

I'm struck with Dumbledore's ruthlessness

Actually I think he was just following his own advice:

While survives any remnant of our kind, that piece is yet in play, though the stars should die in heaven. [...] Know the value of all your other pieces, and play to win.

All things considered I think it was the most compassionate choice he could have made.

Comment author: Gondolinian 12 March 2015 10:41:24PM 5 points [-]

I'm struck with Dumbledore's ruthlessness.

Pretend to kill someone to keep your enemies in line, but really just stash them away to be used as a trump card again later, whether as a hostage or a way to reconcile with your enemy. That's good.

I'm not sure I'd call Dumbledore "ruthless" just for this. While there might very well have been pragmatic benefits to hiding Narcissa instead of actually killing her that Dumbledore took into account, that's not at all incompatible with a simple desire to not cause an unnecessary death.

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