By: David Baggett (Editor), Shawn Klein (Editor), William Irwin (Editor)

Paperback

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Harry Potter has put a spell on millions of readers, and they all want to find out more about the deeper meaning of his adventures. In Harry Potter and Philosophy, 17 experts in the field of philosophy unlock some of Hogwarts' secret panels, uncovering surprising insights that are enlightening both for wizards and for the most discerning muggles. Individual chapters look at such topics as life revealed in the Mirror of Erised; the ethics of magic; Moaning Myrtle, Nearly Headless Nick, and the relation of the mind to the brain; and the character of Hermione as a case of "sublimated feminism." Also examined in this witty collection are how Aristotle would have run a school for wizards; whether the Potter stories undermine religion and morality; how to tell good people from evil ones through the characters in these novels; and what dementors and boggarts can teach readers about happiness, fear, and the soul.

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

ISBN: 9780812694550
ISBN-10: 0812694554
Series: Popular Culture and Philosophy
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 244
Published: 10th September 2004
Dimensions (cm): 22.9 x 15.2  x 1.4
Weight (kg): 0.349