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gwern 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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Tags: fiction hpmor harry_potter fanfiction

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Comment author: gwern 27 January 2013 11:23:54PM 3 points [-]

Do wizards suffer brain damage? At all? I don't think Harry has actually checked..

Bella, Voldemort, Obliviation backlash, half of St. Mungo's parents, Cruciatus... if they don't suffer brain damage, Eliezer has gone against quite a bit in canon.

Comment author: PECOS-9 27 January 2013 11:40:31PM *  5 points [-]

I think Izeinwinter was asking whether physical damage to the brain causes mental damage in wizards, not whether there's any way to cause mental damage (where "mental damage" is distinct from "brain damage" if wizard's minds aren't actually running in their brains).

Comment author: gwern 27 January 2013 11:46:36PM 3 points [-]

Oh. Hm... is anyone physically knocked unconscious at any point? That would seem to satisfy the criteria: a non-magical thing that affects only the physical brain but which causes negative effects on the mind.

Comment author: Tripitaka 28 January 2013 01:20:53AM *  2 points [-]

We can find in "Quidditch Through the Ages", which can be assumed to be canon, this lovely poem:

Oh, the thrill of the chase as I soar through the air
With the Snitch up ahead and the wind in my hair
As I draw ever closer, the crowd gives a shout
But then comes a Bludger and I am knocked out.

Comment author: marchdown 28 January 2013 10:30:18PM 2 points [-]

What if Bludgers, being modelled after naive physics, have inherent knocking-people-out property? Wouldn't that be in line with how canon is being dealt with in HPMOR?

Comment author: Tripitaka 29 January 2013 08:49:03PM 1 point [-]

Very improbable; in Canon, they break bones in extremities all the time.

Comment author: tondwalkar 23 May 2013 04:59:04PM 0 points [-]

Bludgers are still magical and therefore could still "get at" the 'mind' regardless of the physical brain.

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