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DanArmak comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 18, chapter 87 - Less Wrong Discussion

4 Post author: Alsadius 22 December 2012 07:55AM

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Comment author: Qiaochu_Yuan 23 December 2012 07:28:12AM *  13 points [-]

Or... the Stone can actually do a ton of other things and Flamel successfully hushed up what they were because some of them cause extinction events? "Make me immortal and wealthy" is the minimum Flamel needed public to explain his own continued existence and wealth. Everything else... there are gates you do not open, there are seals you do not breach.

Comment author: DanArmak 23 December 2012 05:02:55PM 7 points [-]

Flamel didn't need to make anything public. He could have switched identities or countries every few decades - he pretty much did this anyway by going into hiding. If he could have kept the Stone's existence a secret, and given that as far as we know he never used it for anyone but himself and his wife, then he was a colossal fool to allow its existence to be known and linked with his name.

Comment author: Izeinwinter 23 December 2012 08:19:50PM -2 points [-]

The fact that a stone exists can be ascertained via magic. The location of it, likewise. That is why it is currently at Hogwarts. - Flamel is worried about the divination efforts of Voldemort. Given that the world knows anyway.. Not so foolish as all that.

Comment author: DanArmak 23 December 2012 11:49:59PM 0 points [-]

I'm not talking about him hiding for the last few years. I'm talking about the hundreds of years he lived before that.