A while back in the Columbus Rationality group, we started wondering: What books would the Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality houses have in each of their libraries? We had fun categorizing different subjects:
- Gryffindor - Combat, ethics, and justice
- Ravenclaw - Philosophy, cognitive science, and math
- Slytherin -Influence and power
- Hufflepuff - Happiness, productivity, and friendship
And so, I found myself taking all my books off their shelves this weekend and picking the best to represent each rationality!House and made them into Facebook cover-image-sized pictures. Click each image to see it larger, with a list on the left:
(first posted at Measure of Doubt)
I’m always open to book recommendations and suggestions for good fits. What other books would be especially appropriate for each shelf?
If you only read things as the author intended that they be read, you're missing a large fraction of the entertainment value.
I wonder where The Adventures of Tom Sawyer should be?
I say Gryffindor. Tom is obviously a Gryffindor, and though the tone of the book is somewhat mocking, he is nevertheless clearly the hero and triumphs in the end. (As far as I remember at least; I haven't read it since I was a child).
Yet Twain's ouvre spans all Houses: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is Hufflepuff, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is Ravenclaw, and The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg is Slytherin.