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thomblake comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 16, chapter 85 - Less Wrong Discussion

9 Post author: FAWS 18 April 2012 02:30AM

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Comment author: thomblake 18 April 2012 09:14:29PM 3 points [-]

Do Achilles and Odysseus not seem too different to modern eyes?

No, they're both violent primitive barbarians. One preferred a bow, the other a spear, if I remember correctly. And Harry is not trying to look mere thousands of years into the future.

Why does he think the future will hold life to be as precious as the present does, instead of cheap, as it did and will again in Malthusian economies?

No, I'm pretty sure Harry thinks the future will hold life to be much more precious than the present does.

As for why, probably bad reasoning, but I wouldn't hold that against him. Moral progress maybe? The optimism of youth? Because if the future doesn't hold things that are similar to us but better then it's a Bad End and probably won't hold anyone whose opinion we care about?

Comment author: Vaniver 18 April 2012 11:17:36PM 4 points [-]

No, they're both violent primitive barbarians.

And yet, we have classics departments.

And Harry is not trying to look mere thousands of years into the future.

I suspect Harry will not be disappointed if the future he envisages fails to arrive in a few thousand years.

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