The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles Read online

  Table of Contents

  The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Foreword

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  PART ONE - THE HORCRUX OF THE MATTER: DESTINY, IDENTITY, AND THE SOUL

  Chapter 1 - THE SOUL IN HARRY POTTER

  Philosophical Conceptions of the Soul

  Ghosts and “Going On”

  The Dementor’s Kiss

  Horcruxes

  A Plausible View?

  NOTES

  Chapter 2 - SIRIUS BLACK

  Mind-Body Distinctions

  Whose Reasons?

  A Step in the Right Direction

  A Unified Self

  NOTES

  Chapter 3 - DESTINY IN THE WIZARDING WORLD

  Varieties of Prophecy

  Fallible Prophecies

  Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

  Destiny

  A Rodent’s Destiny

  Time Travel and Fixed Time

  NOTES

  PART TWO - THE MOST POWERFUL MAGIC OF ALL

  Chapter 4 - CHOOSING LOVE

  Snape and the Many-Splendored Thing

  The Abandoned Boys

  Snape the Occlumens

  Snape’s Choice

  A Work in Progress

  NOTES

  Chapter 5 - LOVE POTION NO. 9¾

  Violently Pink Products

  Little Hangleton

  Real Love or Mere Infatuation?

  Not His Mother’s Son

  NOTES

  Chapter 6 - HARRY POTTER, RADICAL FEMINISM, AND THE POWER OF LOVE

  The Feminist Debate So Far

  Radical vs. Liberal Feminism

  More Wonderful and More Terrible than Death

  The Triumph of Love

  NOTES

  PART THREE - POTTERWATCH: FREEDOM AND POLITICS

  Chapter 7 - PATRIOTISM, HOUSE LOYALTY, AND THE OBLIGATIONS OF BELONGING

  The Dangers of Patriotism

  Death Eaters and Discrimination

  The Sorting Hat Speaks: Division and Divisiveness

  Patriotism and Global Conflict

  Patriotism Restored

  The Importance of Community

  Human Flourishing and the Preservation of Dying Cultures

  NOTES

  Chapter 8 - DUMBLEDORE’S POLITICS

  Is Dumbledore a Libertarian?

  Barton’s Libertarian Interpretation of the Potter Series

  NOTES

  Chapter 9 - DUMBLEDORE, PLATO, AND THE LUST FOR POWER

  Plato and Dumbledore: Separated at Birth?

  Fudge and Umbridge: The Lessons of Obviously Unfit Power-Brokers

  Voldemort and Dumbledore: Two Tempted by Power

  Harry’s Cloak, the Ring of Gyges, and the Temptations of Power

  NOTES

  PART FOUR - THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT: A POTTER POTPOURRI

  Chapter 10 - IS DUMBLEDORE GAY? WHO’S TO SAY?

  Truth in Fiction

  So, Is Dumbledore Gay?

  Closing Speculations: Genre

  NOTES

  Chapter 11 - CHOICES VS. ABILITIES

  Choices

  How Revealing Are Our Choices?

  Abilities

  How Revealing Are Our Abilities?

  Beyond Choices: Toward a Deeper Self-Understanding

  The Ultimate Measure of a Person

  NOTES

  Chapter 12 - THE MAGIC OF PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION

  Positioning Our Prejudgments

  The Ignorance of Ickle Dudleykins

  Betrayed by Biases

  Dangerous Dreams

  The Cost of Overconfidence

  Memories Help Make Meaning

  Moving Past Misdirection

  NOTES

  Chapter 13 - JUST IN YOUR HEAD?

  Tell Me One Last Thing

  What Is Real?

  Going Mental

  Rowling as an Inkling

  Harry’s Near-Death Experience

  NOTES

  Chapter 14 - A PENSIEVE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?

  “A Swirling, Silvery Mass”

  The Hallows of the Mind

  Confundus!

  Mischief Managed

  Lumos!

  NOTES

  Chapter 15 - A HOGWARTS EDUCATION

  The Good

  The Ugly

  Like Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavor Beans, a Mix

  NOTES

  PART FIVE - BEYOND THE VEIL: DEATH, HOPE, AND MEANING

  Chapter 16 - THE REAL SECRET OF THE PHOENIX

  Remorse and Death

  The Inversion of Voldemort

  The Integrity Objection

  The Fantasy Objection

  Fawkes’s Secret

  NOTES

  Chapter 17 - BEYOND GODRIC’S HOLLOW

  Death and Philosophy

  The Approaching Battle

  King’s Cross Station

  Reap a Destiny

  NOTES

  Chapter 18 - WHY HARRY AND SOCRATES DECIDE TO DIE

  Fulfillment for Muggles and Wizards

  Voldemort and the Sophists

  The Common Good versus the Greater Good

  Two Keys to the Good Life

  The End of the Story

  NOTES

  CONTRIBUTORS

  THE MARAUDER’S INDEX

  The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

  Series Editor: William Irwin

  South Park and Philosophy

  Edited by Robert Arp

  Metallica and Philosophy

  Edited by William Irwin

  Family Guy and Philosophy

  Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

  The Daily Show and Philosophy

  Edited by Jason Holt

  Lost and Philosophy

  Edited by Sharon Kaye

  24 and Philosophy

  Edited by Richard Davis, Jennifer Hart Weed, and Ronald Weed

  Battlestar Galactica and

  Philosophy

  Edited by Jason T. Eberl

  The Office and Philosophy

  Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

  Batman and Philosophy

  Edited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp

  House and Philosophy

  Edited by Henry Jacoby

  Watchmen and Philosophy

  Edited by Mark D. White

  X-Men and Philosophy

  Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

  Terminator and Philosophy

  Edited by Richard Brown and Kevin Decker

  Heroes and Philosophy

  Edited by David Kyle Johnson

  Twilight and Philosophy

  Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

  Final Fantasy and Philosophy

  Edited by Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu

  Iron Man and Philosophy

  Edited by Mark D. White

  Alice in Wonderland and

  Philosophy

  Edited by Richard Brian Davis

  True Blood and Philosophy

  Edited by George A. Dunn and Rebecca Housel

  Mad Men and Philosophy

  Edited by Rod Carveth and James South

  30 Rock and Philosophy

  Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

  This book is printed on acid-free paper.

  Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved

  Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

  Publish
ed simultaneously in Canada

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

  Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

  For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

  Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

  The ultimate Harry Potter and philosophy : Hogwarts for Muggles / edited by Gregory Bassham.

  p. cm.—(The Blackwell philosophy and pop culture series)

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN 978-0-470-39825-8 (paper: alk. paper);

  ISBN 978-0-470-62708-2 (ebk);

  ISBN 978-0-470-62734-1 (ebk);

  ISBN 978-0-470-62735-8 (ebk)

  1. Rowling, J. K.—Philosophy. 2. Rowling, J. K.—Themes, motives. 3. Rowling, J. K.—Characters. 4. Potter, Harry (Fictitious character) 5. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary organization) 6. Philosophy in literature. 7. Children’s stories, English—History and criticism. 8. Fantasy fiction, English—History and criticism. I. Bassham, Gregory, 1959-

  PR6068.093Z8888 2010

  823’.914—dc22

  2010016880

  For David Baggett

  FOREWORD

  Tom Morris

  In 2004, there was an important literary event involving Harry Potter that didn’t require sleepy parents to show up before midnight at bookstores around the world with hyperactive, well-costumed children trembling in anticipation of a new adventure and completely unable to sleep. It didn’t involve J. K. Rowling writing something new or even leaving her home for a special appearance, and it never sparked front-page newspaper headlines or special television news bulletins. It was the surprising publication of an unexpected book: Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts, edited by the philosophers David Baggett and Shawn Klein.

  What made this a remarkable occurrence for Harry and his fans and the broader world of readers is that it demonstrated the range and depth of attention this ongoing story was receiving, not only among kids, teens, and imaginative young adults, but also throughout the professorial ranks of the academic world. The wizards of wisdom in our colleges and universities were taking note of Harry’s remarkable story and were finding in it great ideas and lessons for life. Courage, duplicity, friendship, happiness, justice, love, and ambition joined issues of good, evil, death, and freedom, among many other topics, in this remarkable examination of themes to be found in the adventures of Harry Potter as they unfolded before us, book after book.

  When I was initially asked to write an essay for that first collective philosophical look at the deeper themes in the Potter tales, I must admit that I was simply perplexed. At the time, I wasn’t a Potter reader. I thought these were just books for kids. But after one of the editors of the project vigorously assured me that the Harry Potter stories were for everyone and were enthralling people of all ages around the globe, I cracked open the first volume mainly out of curiosity and then, like many adults before me, was instantly hooked. In no time at all, whenever I prepared to sit down to read, I felt a strange urge to dress up in black robes and a tall, pointed hat. I breezed through the first four volumes, which were then the only ones in print, and subsequently began to read each one again, slowly, while awaiting the new books, savoring the intricacies of the story and the sparks of wisdom I started to see everywhere.

  By the time the series was complete, I had read most of the seven large volumes six times through, and with deeper insights as my reward each time. There was much more going on in Harry’s world than met the casual glance, and far beyond the hidden skullduggery and secret machinations of the many characters. Ideas were percolating under the surface. Real wisdom was suffused throughout the pages. The former classics major Joanne Rowling was not merely a masterful storyteller, but was also a talented weaver of profound perspectives on some of the things that matter most in our lives.

  I was inspired. I quickly wrote an essay on what I saw as one of Harry Potter’s central attributes, his courage, and then could not stop writing. In no time at all, I had written an entire book of my own, examining the philosophical insights to be found in these incredible stories that were linking the generations like perhaps nothing else in our time. I had to wrap up my book and send it in for publication right after Rowling’s sixth volume of her planned seven installments came out. So I ended up holding my philosophical breath for a good while in anticipation of the concluding storyline and what it would say about my take on the earlier books. I’m happy to report that I was able to breathe a great sigh of relief when the series ended and all of my major interpretations had held up. But I had not had the last word, as a philosopher, on Harry and his friends.

  This exciting new book that you now have before you, The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles, is a fresh and distinctive report on the great ideas in the series. All of the authors of the chapters have had the advantage of thinking through their chosen issues and writing up their conclusions after the entire Potter storyline was complete and Rowling had even had her say in public about things that never made it into the pages of the official texts. The philosophers and other top Harry Potter experts who are gathered together here offer new voices and new perspectives on many of the most important ideas that come up in the books—some of which can be genuinely life changing. Reading this book will be like putting on a Philosophical De-coder Ring. It will show you vital aspects of the deepest story that lies behind these famous novels.