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TobyBartels comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 12 - Less Wrong Discussion

5 Post author: Xachariah 25 March 2012 11:01AM

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Comment author: TobyBartels 31 March 2012 06:51:56PM 0 points [-]

Wedrifid, do not read Deathly Hallows. It will disappoint you. (Personally, I was pleased; it could have been a lot worse.)

Comment author: wedrifid 01 April 2012 02:06:29PM *  0 points [-]

I read all the Harry Potter books the first day they came out. From what I recall of Hallows... the first half was "Frodo and Sam walked a lot" but with more pouting.

Comment author: TobyBartels 01 April 2012 05:49:43PM *  0 points [-]

Then we must have interpreted it differently. I took the existence of literal love magic as pretty firmly established by the protection granted by Harry to every good guy in the Battle of Hogwarts. I'm having difficulty imagining how anything Rowling says could make this story-breaking power worthy of any lower esteem. (And I am only thinking of the second half, which was the interesting one.)

Comment author: wedrifid 01 April 2012 06:02:39PM 2 points [-]

I'm having difficulty imagining how anything Rowling says could make this story-breaking power worthy of any lower esteem.

Lower esteem? By no means. Merely more reductionist detail and less Dumbledorish drivel. Sacrificing one's life to make a protection spell over a loved one is in no way diminished if the magic mechanism doesn't sound like it was developed by carebears.

Comment author: TobyBartels 01 April 2012 06:16:11PM 0 points [-]

OK, I'm pretty thoroughly confused. When you write

I haven't looked and don't especially want to hear it.

what don't you want to hear? And what more would have to be true to trigger the hypothesis in

If there is literal love magic I'd hold that in the same esteem as I hold the rules of Quidditch.