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twanvl comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, February 2015, chapter 108 - Less Wrong Discussion

5 Post author: b_sen 20 February 2015 09:53PM

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Comment author: twanvl 20 February 2015 10:40:58PM 7 points [-]

But alas, I fear that Professor Riddle would not have found lasting happiness in Hogwarts."

"Why not? "

"Because I still would've been surrounded by idiots, and I wouldn't have been able to kill them," Professor Quirrell said mildly.

The solution seems obvious (albeit hard and dangerous): make the students smarter so they are no longer idiots.

Comment author: DanArmak 21 February 2015 02:03:24PM 4 points [-]

Another solution would have been for him to have children, since intelligence is highly heritable. Unfortunately, now that his original body is dead, this may not work.

Comment author: DanielLC 21 February 2015 02:39:28AM 4 points [-]

Once he's achieved immortality, he can do both at once. By killing idiots, he'll improve the gene pool, and eventually the children will stop being idiots. Then he can become a teacher.

Comment author: irrational_crank 21 February 2015 11:52:40AM 2 points [-]

Possible stupid question:If Quirrell was so frustrated with with the idiocy of the students, then why did he kill Hermione (the next smartest student) in an unnecessary subplot (Quirrell admitted it did not matter in the long run whether the plan succeeded or not) and cause the next smartest one after that to be withdrawn from the school?

Comment author: azuredarkness 21 February 2015 08:16:11PM 1 point [-]

That's not one of the plans listed as unimportant. The relevant part was removing or weakening her influence on Harry, and this was achieved by the Troll plan when the original plan failed.

Comment author: adamzerner 07 April 2015 09:21:26PM *  0 points [-]

I suppose that it's partly because she wasn't nearly smart enough for Quirrell to find interesting in the way Harry is.

Comment author: polymathwannabe 20 February 2015 10:58:30PM 0 points [-]

A man with the tendency to kill people for idiocy should not take a teaching position if he doesn't want to risk exposing himself on his first day.

Comment author: Alsadius 20 February 2015 11:06:00PM 7 points [-]

He managed to last a year.

Comment author: gwern 20 February 2015 11:45:38PM 3 points [-]

Skeeter?

Comment author: DanArmak 20 February 2015 11:56:18PM 0 points [-]

He didn't kill her for idiocy, and she wasn't a student.

Comment author: gwern 21 February 2015 01:18:51AM *  9 points [-]

He didn't kill her for idiocy

From chapter 25:

The tipster had said that Bones and her young assistant were due to eat lunch in a special room at Mary's Place, a very popular room for certain purposes; a room which, she'd found, was secure against all listening devices, but not proof against a beautiful blue beetle nestled up against one wall...

"Out of my way! " Rita said, and tried to push Quirrell from her path. Quirrell's arm brushed her own, deflecting, and Rita staggered as the thrust went into the thin air.

Quirrell pulled up the sleeve of his left robe, showing his left arm. "Observe," said Quirrell, "no Dark Mark. I would like your paper to publish a retraction."

Rita let out an incredulous laugh. Of course the man wasn't a real Death Eater. The paper wouldn't have published it if he was. "Forget it, buster. Now take a hike."

Quirrell stared at her for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"Miss Skeeter," said Quirrell, "I had hoped to find some lever that would prove persuasive. Yet I find that I cannot deny myself the pleasure of simply crushing you."

"It's been tried. Now get out of my way, buster, or I'll find some Aurors and have you arrested for obstruction of journalism."

Quirrell swept her a small bow, and then walked past. "Goodbye, Rita Skeeter," said his voice from behind her.

As Rita bulled on ahead, she noted in the back of her mind that the man was whistling a tune as he walked away. Like that would scare her.

She was set up, given a chance to realize her stupidity in attacking Quirrell and make amends, failed despite Quirrell's superiority (demonstrated then and there), and he began to enjoy thinking about killing her for her idiocy.

Comment author: DanArmak 21 February 2015 01:30:37AM 4 points [-]

You're right.

Comment author: polymathwannabe 20 February 2015 11:59:45PM 1 point [-]

Her disguise wasn't very good, actually. More cleverness might have saved her.

Comment author: TheMajor 20 February 2015 11:00:40PM 0 points [-]

Why go through all that trouble when you can also just, you know, not stay at Hogwarts?

Comment author: DanArmak 20 February 2015 11:55:55PM *  2 points [-]

But people elsewhere aren't much smarter. In fact, they are the same people from Hogwarts, just a few years older.

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