Reddit mentions of The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles

I think the general philosophical idea that people are hinting at so far is Idealism. The essential idea is: The external world is in some sense dependent on the mind of the perceiver.

George Berkeley was was one of the first. He said that "to be is to be perceived, or to be a perceiver". So an object exists because I am perceiving it, and if no one was perceiving it, then it wouldn't exist.

Kant had a different form of idealism called Transcendental Idealism. He thought that although there IS a world that exists independently of us, we can't know anything about it at all. Our minds are responsible for imposing many of the properties we perceive onto the world. Everything from the colour of a wall, to the fact that objects exist in time and space. These are properties that mind assigns to reality, and we have no knowledge of what the external world is like as a "thing in itself".

How does this relate to the quote in Harry Potter? It means that the line between things that are real and things that are going on "inside my head" is a lot more blurry than common sense might suggest. Just because an experience is dependent on my mind for it's existence or it's characteristics, does not necessarily mean it is not "real".

However, having said all that, I'm not sure that J.K. Rowling had any intention of bringing up idealism, even though it seems relevant. It seems more likely that this could be some sort of meeting between Dumbledore and Harry's Cartesian Souls (since the Harry Potter books are 100% committed to substance dualsim). It could even just be some sort of reassuring "it's real for you because you had a nice experience, so it doesn't matter whether this was all just a hallucination or not". Either way, not very Berkeley.

There is a good book on philosophy and harry potter: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Ultimate-Harry-Potter-Philosophy/dp/0470398256/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

I bought it for my sister, but haven't had a chance to read it myself yet. It looks pretty entertaining for those who are interested!

I don't think any of these really matter. They don't make me heartsick. I get that it's just a series. I have no problem accepting that there's a lot of mistakes and plot holes, and I don't mean to suggest that JK thought through the economic, philosophical, and political implications of her world. But she did create a world that, by necessity, provides valid grounds on which to address those issues-- and address them I shall.

The really goddamned awesome thing about HP, for me, is that it has such a depth, and such a fan base, that in a very real sense it's a new universe. I like thinking about how economics would function in the HP universe, or the implications that it holds for philosophy. As the author of the first suggests (I'm stuck behind a firewall, so forgive me for paraphrasing), there's a lot to learn about economics, philosophy, and political science (along with many others) in Harry Potter for the sole reason that so many people care in the first place. What exactly is it about an HP society that makes people view it as simultaneously realistic and utopic?

I'm utterly unapologetic about my fandom. It's something I love, that I'm good at, and that I use to stimulate my brain. I refuse to find anything embarrassing about that.

:D :D :D I would love a USED copy of this book--there's a "like new" copy for $7.28 including shipping! Thanks for the contest!!

Dressed All Over and Zesty Mordant :D

Morthy demands:

1. Item which would most make you seem like an old posh Englishman: This book.
   
2. Most "oh god, I would never be seen with this in public" looking item: Well I mean...NSFW
   
3. Most phallic looking item: WELL I MEAN...NSFW
   
   Akeleie demands:
   
   
4. Most geeky item: This might be more nerdy, honestly.
   
5. Item which would most help you achieve a goal: Organizing!
   
6. Best item to bring to a deserted island: Yum.

Are you by any chance a student? If so, you may have access to library databases and academic journals. There are a good amount of academic papers on Harry Potter but a lot of them are behind a paywall, but as I said, students often get access.

That said: this book has a bunch of different papers compiled: The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles.

1. I know I could just use reparo, but I'd rather my wine glasses not break in the first place. Plus, there's no putting wine back in a broken glass, and we can't have that! If I drop it, I'll just use wingardium leviosa, and the wine will be saved!

2. Whenever I put my dog on the back of my broomstick, he's always trying to chew off the handle. Maybe this item will fool him.

3. I'm not sure I can afford my own, but I have three friends who might let me borrow theirs. I might have to dust them off a bit.

4. This would help me understand the magic of the mind, and the mind magic behind the magic!

5. I have a feeling my school trunk would just be full of dirty clothes.

6. Cape! I'd really like to find a cape like this guy has. Practical AND fashionable. I think he really epitomizes those two qualities.

Have you seen these three books (1, 2, 3)? I haven't read them, so I can't tell you which is best, but even just looking at the table of contents might give you some ideas.

Oh yeah; I suggest you take a look at The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy - Hogwarts for Muggles

It has a chapter on souls and horcruxes.