Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts

by David Baggett (Editor), Shawn E. Klein (Editor), William Irwin (Editor)

Overview

In Harry Potter and Philosophy, seventeen philosophical experts unlock some of Hogwarts' secret panels, and uncover surprising insights that are enlightening both for wizards and the most discerning muggles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812694550
Publisher:	Open Court Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/10/2004
Series:	Popular Culture and Philosophy , #9
Pages:	250
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

	A Few Start-of-Term Notices
	Abbreviations
	The Magic of Philosophy
	Gryffindor: The Characters of Harry's World
1.	The Courageous Harry Potter
2.	Dursley Duplicity: The Morality and Psychology of Self-Deception
3.	Voldemort's Agents, Malfoy's Cronies, and Hagrid's Chums: Friendship in Harry Potter
4.	Feminism and Equal Opportunity: Hermione and the Women of Hogwarts
	Hufflepuff: Morality in Rowling's Universe
5.	Heaven, Hell, and Harry Potter
6.	Magic, Science, and the Ethics of Technology
7.	The Mirror of Erised: Why We Should Heed Dumbledore's Warning
8.	Kreacher's Lament: S.P.E.W. as a Parable on Discrimination, Indifference, and Social Justice
	Slytherin: Knockturn Alley, and the Dark Arts
9.	Is Ambition a Virtue? Why Slytherin Belongs at Hogwarts
10.	A Skewed Reflection: The Nature of Evil
11.	Voldemort, Boethius, and the Destructive Effects of Evil
12.	Magic, Muggles, and Moral Imagination
	Ravenclaw: Many-Flavored Topics in Metaphysics
13.	Finding Platform 9?: The Idea of a Different Reality
14.	Space, Time, and Magic
15.	Why Voldemort Won't Just Die Already: What Wizards Can Teach Us about Personal Identity
16.	The Prophecy-Driven Life: Foreknowledge and Freedom at Hogwarts

Editorial Reviews

Even those of us without a Hogwarts diploma know that the Harry Potter saga conceals hidden meanings. In this engaging collection of essays, 17 experts probe the philosophical implications of Harry's wizardly world. The contributors pose fascinating questions about the religion, morality, and magic; explain what Nearly Headless Nick can tell us about the relation of the mind to the brain; and discuss how Aristotle would run an academy for wizards. A grand entrance to the Great Hall.