Harry Potter and Philosophy Read online

  Table of Contents

  Popular Culture and Philosophy Series Editor: George A. Reisch

  Title Page

  Dedication

  A Few Start-of-Term Notices

  Abbreviations

  The Magic of Philosophy

  Gryffindor - The Characters of Harry’s World

  Chapter 1 - The Courageous Harry Potter

  Magic and Virtue

  The Virtues at Hogwarts

  Feelings of Fear

  Harry’s Recipe for Courage

  Harry’s Big Step of Faith

  Chapter 2 - Dursley Duplicity: The Morality and Psychology of Self-Deception

  The Arguments for Self-Deception

  The Self-Deceptions of the Dursleys

  The Lessons of Dursley Deceit

  A Fourth Lesson

  Making Sense of Positive Illusions

  An Honest Life

  Chapter 3 - Voldemort’s Agents, Malfoy’s Cronies, and Hagrid’s Chums: …

  Voldemort’s Agents

  Malfoy’s Cronies: Crabbe and Goyle

  Hagrid’s Chums: Harry, Ron, and Hermione

  Aristotle’s Friends

  Useful Friends and Pleasant Friends

  Friendship in the Fullest Sense

  “What’s Comin’ Will Come, an’ We’ll Meet It When It Does” (GF, p. 719)

  Chapter 4 - Feminism and Equal Opportunity: Hermione and the Women of Hogwarts

  In the Image of Her Creator

  Not Just One of the Guys

  Strength of Mind and Moral Virtue

  Co-education at Hogwarts

  Equal Opportunity Beyond Hogwarts

  Hufflepuff - Morality in Rowling’s Universe

  Chapter 5 - Heaven, Hell, and Harry Potter

  Are We Truly Happy?

  Is Death Really a Good Thing?

  So Why Not Take the Money and Run?

  Magical Moral Obligations

  Some Damned Good Reasons

  Chapter 6 - Magic, Science, and the Ethics of Technology

  Magic, Science, and Harry Potter

  Interlude: Fantasy and Moral Epistemology

  Rowling’s Ethics of Magic

  Back to Reality

  Chapter 7 - The Mirror of Erised: Why We Should Heed Dumbledore’s Warning

  The Mirror of Erised

  Dumbledore’s Warning

  Knowledge and Truth

  Descartes’s Dreams

  The Experience Machine

  To Plug In …

  … Or Not to Plug In

  Doing Certain Things

  Being a Certain Way

  Back to the Mirror

  Heeding Dumbledore’s Warning

  Chapter 8 - Kreacher’s Lament: S.P.E.W. as a Parable on Discrimination, …

  Discrimination and Prejudice

  What Is Wrong with Prejudice?

  Why S.P.E.W. Doesn’t Work

  Indifference, Security, and Social Justice

  Slytherin - Knockturn Alley and the Dark Arts

  Chapter 9 - Is Ambition a Virtue? Why Slytherin Belongs at Hogwarts

  Aristotle and the Sorting Hat

  The Virtue of Slytherin House

  Ambition as a Virtue

  What We Can Learn from Slytherin House

  Chapter 10 - A Skewed Reflection: The Nature of Evil

  Evil Doesn’t Exist

  Evil Protects Itself and Grows through Deception

  Evil Is a Result of Free Choice

  Seeing Clearly, Acting Bravely

  Chapter 11 - Voldemort, Boethius, and the Destructive Effects of Evil

  Boethius and the Destructive Effects of Evil

  Voldemort and the Destructive Effects of Evil

  Voldemort and Moral Education

  Chapter 12 - Magic, Muggles, and Moral Imagination

  The Devil Made Harry Do It

  What’s Wrong with Harry?

  Answering the Moral Charge

  Is Hogwarts a Wiccan Academy?

  Imagination and Morality

  Imagination and Faith

  Ravenclaw - Many-Flavored Topics in Metaphysics

  Chapter 13 - Finding Platform 9 : The Idea of a Different Reality

  The Oz Stories

  The Ship of Theseus

  The Narnia Chronicles

  Hogwarts

  Hogwarts and Narnia

  Hogwarts and Oz

  Hogwarts and Our World

  Seeing but Not Noticing

  Science and Alchemy

  Chapter 14 - Space, Time, and Magic

  Where and When: The Harry Potter Universe and Our Own World

  Magical and Non-Magical Places

  How: Travel by Magical Means

  Time Travel: The Tensed versus the Tenseless View of Time

  Time Travel in the Harry Potter Universe

  What We’ve Learned About Harry Potter’s World

  Chapter 15 - Why Voldemort Won’t Just Die Already: What Wizards Can Teach Us …

  Disembodied Survival and the Nature of Persons

  Teletransportation and Personal Identity

  Chapter 16 - The Prophecy-Driven Life: Fate and Freedom at Hogwarts

  The Scientific Challenge to Freedom

  The Religious Challenge to Freedom

  The Paranormal Challenge to Free Will

  Reconciling Freedom and Foreknowledge

  Hogwarts Emeritus Faculty

  Current Hogwarts Faculty

  A Wizard’s Index

  Copyright Page

  Popular Culture and Philosophy ® Series Editor: George A. Reisch

  VOLUME 1

  Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (2000)

  VOLUME 2

  The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer (2001)

  VOLUME 3

  The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (2002)

  VOLUME 4

  Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale (2003)

  VOLUME 5

  The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (2003)

  VOLUME 6

  Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter’s Box (2004)

  VOLUME 9

  Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (2004)

  VOLUME 12

  Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine (2005)

  VOLUME 13

  Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way (2005)

  VOLUME 17

  Bob Dylan and Philosophy: It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Thinking) (2006)

  VOLUME 18

  Harley-Davidson and Philosophy: Full-Throttle Aristotle (2006)

  VOLUME 19

  Monty Python and Philosophy: Nudge Nudge, Think Think! (2006)

  VOLUME 23

  James Bond and Philosophy: Questions Are Forever (2006)

  VOLUME 24

  Bullshit and Philosophy: Guaranteed to Get Perfect Results Every Time (2006)

  VOLUME 25

  The Beatles and Philosophy: Nothing You Can Think that Can’t Be Thunk (2006)

  VOLUME 26

  South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating (2007) Edited by Richard Hanley

  VOLUME 28

  The Grateful Dead and Philosophy: Getting High Minded about Love and Haight (2007) Edited by Steven Gimbel

  VOLUME 29

  Quentin Tarantino and Philosophy: How to Philosophize with a Pair of Pliers and a Blowtorch (2007) Edited by Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad

  VOLUME 30

  Pink Floyd and Philosophy: Careful with that Axiom, Eugene! (2007) Edited by George A.
Reisch

  VOLUME 31

  Johnny Cash and Philosophy: The Burning Ring of Truth (2008) Edited by John Huss and David Werther

  VOLUME 32

  Bruce Springsteen and Philosophy: Darkness on the Edge of Truth (2008) Edited by Randall E. Auxier and Doug Anderson

  VOLUME 33

  Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Mission Accomplished or Mission Frakked Up? (2008) Edited by Josef Steiff and Tristan D. Tamplin

  VOLUME 34

  iPod and Philosophy: iCon of an ePoch (2008) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

  VOLUME 35

  Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant (2008) Edited by Jason T. Eberl and Kevin S. Decker

  VOLUME 36

  The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (2008) Edited by Luke Cuddy

  VOLUME 37

  The Wizard of Oz and Philosophy: Wicked Wisdom of the West (2008) Edited by Randall E. Auxier and Phillip S. Seng

  VOLUME 38

  Radiohead and Philosophy: Fitter Happier More Deductive (2009) Edited by Brandon W. Forbes and George A. Reisch

  VOLUME 39

  Jimmy Buffett and Philosophy: The Porpoise Driven Life (2009) Edited by Erin McKenna and Scott L. Pratt

  VOLUME 40

  Transformers and Philosophy (2009) Edited by John Shook and Liz Stillwaggon Swan

  VOLUME 41

  Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I Am Philosophy (And So Can You!) (2009) Edited by Aaron Allen Schiller

  VOLUME 42

  Supervillains and Philosophy: Sometimes, Evil Is Its Own Reward (2009) Edited by Ben Dyer

  VOLUME 43 The Golden Compass and Philosophy:

  God Bites the Dust (2009) Edited by Richard Greene and Rachel Robison

  VOLUME 44

  Led Zeppelin and Philosophy: All Will Be Revealed (2009) Edited by Scott Calef

  VOLUME 45

  World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King (2009) Edited by Luke Cuddy and John Nordlinger

  Volume 46

  Mr. Monk and Philosophy: The Curious Case of the Defective Detective (2010) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

  Volume 47

  Anime and Philosophy: Wide Eyed Wonder (2010) Edited by Josef Steiff and Tristan Tamplin

  VOLUME 48

  The Red Sox and Philosophy: Green Monster Meditations (2010) Edited by Michael Macomber

  VOLUME 49

  Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy (2010) Edited by Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad

  IN PREPARATION:

  Facebook and Philosophy: What’s on Your Mind? (2010) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

  Soccer and Philosophy (2010) Edited by Ted Richards

  Manga and Philosophy (2010) Edited by Josef Steiff and Adam Barkman

  The Onion and Philosophy (2010) Edited by Sharon M. Kaye

  Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness (2010) Edited by Graham Priest and Damon Young

  Dune and Philosophy (2010) Edited by Jeffrey Nicholas

  Doctor Who and Philosophy (2010) Edited by Paula J. Smithka and Court Lewis

  Breaking Bad and Philosophy (2011) Edited by David R. Koepsell

  For full details of all Popular Culture and Philosophy® books, visit www.opencourtbooks.com.

  To all of our teachers

  A Few Start-of-Term Notices

  If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts was made possible because of the contributions and collaboration of a mess of Muggles. First we’d like to thank our faculty, who put so much energy and insight into their essays and lesson plans. Their Hermione-like willingness to work so hard to make philosophy with Harry both captivating and substantive was nothing less than inspiring.

  Many thanks for the leadership and guiding vision provided by William Irwin and David Ramsay Steele at the Ministry of Magic. Greg Bassham, whose seventh-grade teacher’s paddle came from a branch of the Whomping Willow, also deserves special mention and extra chocolate frogs for his incredible generosity throughout the entire project.

  Numerous friends supplied us with their encouragement, correction, and support. In particular: Cathy Chulis, Jerry Walls, Elton Higgs, Stuart Noell, Charissa van der Merwe, Maureen Linker, Ginger Asel, Patrick Stephens, and especially Kimberly Blessing. Each of them deserves some special words of thanks, so here they are: oijasdold and sgnisselb.

  Tom Morris offered unflagging enthusiasm and encouragement throughout the entire project, not to mention the inspiration behind our subtitle. Aeon Skoble was a great tutor—providing guidance, suggestions, and advice as needed. Rose Alaimo gave numerous pep talks while lending an ear to interminable updates, which meant countless delays in vacations to Hogsmeade (or even Binghamton). Kristen Klein’s unwavering support and understanding helped make the long hours of studying for the OWLs go by quickly. And Steve Patterson’s help, which immeasurably benefited the book, came in more varieties than Bertie Bott’s Beans.

  Paula Chaiken, while driving herself crazy coming up with anagrams for “Quaffle,” provided invaluable assistance as a proofer of the whole manuscript. She was always willing to be honest about what she liked and what she didn’t, even without a truth potion! The book wouldn’t have been the same without her. Abby Myers—whose deepest desire is for a pair of thick, woolen socks—was an excellent student assistant who proofread the entire manuscript and tracked down needed references. Special thanks to both of them, not to mention fifty points for both of their houses.

  Abbreviations

  The following abbreviations are used in referring to the Harry Potter books. All quotations are from the American editions, published by Scholastic, and all page references are to those editions.

  Sorcerer’s Stone (SS): Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic, 1998.

  Chamber of Secrets (CS): Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 1999.

  Prisoner of Azkaban (PA): Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic, 1999.

  Goblet of Fire (GF): Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2000.

  Order of the Phoenix (OP): Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Scholastic, 2003.

  The Magic of Philosophy

  J.K. Rowling’s universe of menacing trolls and forbidden forests haunts the bestseller lists week in and out, enthralling readers and leaving them hungry for more. All around the globe, words like “Dursley” and “Quidditch” now enrich vocabularies and occupy permanent categories of imagination, conjuring their mesmerizing spells.

  Besides being wildly popular, the series has begun to attract the attention of literary scholars and academics. One of the first full-scale scholarly conferences devoted to the Potter books, Nimbus 2003, was held in Orlando, Florida. Covering a wide breadth of literary, cultural, and philosophical topics, this “Harry Potter Symposium” included talks on justice, moral development, the role of women, and heroism. Another such conference was held in summer 2004 in Canada, and Nimbus 2005 is set for the fall of 2005.