Harry Potter and Philosophy If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts

by Baggett, David; Klein, Shawn E.; Irwin, William

• ISBN13: 9780812694550
• ISBN10: 0812694554
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-09-10
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

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.

Author Biography

David Baggett and Shawn Klein are both teachers of philosophy, respectively at King's College, Pennsylvania, and Arizona State University. David travels the train stations of the world with an eye out for fractional platform numbers, while Shawn hopes to see his favorite Boston Quidditch team win the World Cup.

Table of Contents

A Few Start-of-Term Notices	ix
Abbreviations	x
The Magic of Philosophy	1	(6)
Gryffindor: The Characters of Harry's World	7	(54)
1. The Courageous Harry Potter
TOM MORRIS	9	(13)
2. Dursley Duplicity: The Morality and Psychology of Self-Deception
DIANA MERTZ HSIEH	22	(16)
3. Voldemort's Agents, Malfoy's Cronies, and Hagrid's Chums: Friendship in Harry Potter
HARALD THORSRUD	38	(11)
4. Feminism and Equal Opportunity: Hermione and the Women of Hogwarts
MIMI R. GLADSTEIN	49	(12)
Hufflepuff: Morality in Rowling's Universe	61	(58)
5. Heaven, Hell, and Harry Potter
JERRY L. WALLS	63	(14)
6. Magic, Science, and the Ethics of Technology
BENJAMIN J. BRUXVOORT LIPSCOMB and W. CHRISTOPHER STEWART	77	(15)
7. The Mirror of Erised: Why We Should Heed Dumbledore's Warning
SHAWN E. KLEIN	92	(13)
8. Kreacher's Lament: S.P.E.W. as a Parable on Discrimination, Indifference, and Social Justice
STEVEN W. PATTERSON	105	(14)
Slytherin: Knockturn Alley and the Dark Arts	119	(54)
9. Is Ambition a Virtue? Why Slytherin Belongs at Hogwarts
STEVEN W. PATTERSON	121	(11)
10. A Skewed Reflection: The Nature of Evil
DAVID and CATHERINE DEAVEL	132	(16)
11. Voldemort, Boethius, and the Destructive Effects of Evil
JENNIFER HART WEED	148	(10)
12. Magic, Muggles, and Moral Imagination
DAVID BAGGETT	158	(15)
Ravenclaw: Many-Flavored Topics in Metaphysics	173	(54)
13. Finding Platform 94: The Idea of a Different Reality
GARETH B. MATTHEWS	175	(11)
14. Space, Time, and Magic
MICHAEL SILBERSTEIN	186	(14)
15. Why Voldemort Won't Just Die Already: What Wizards Can Teach Us about Personal Identity
JASON T. EBERL	200	(13)
16. The Prophecy-Driven Life: Foreknowledge and Freedom at Hogwarts
GREGORY BASSHAM	213	(14)
Hogwarts Emeritus Faculty	227	(6)
Current Hogwarts Faculty	233	(4)
A Wizard's Index	237