Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (Paperback)

by David Baggett (Editor), Shawn E. Klein (Editor), William Irwin (Editor) "Harry Potter is certainly one of the most popular characters in the world..." (more)
Key Phrases: paranormal challenge, enchanted car, tensed view, Harry Potter, Death Eaters, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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.

About the Author
David Baggett is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at King's College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He has published many scholarly articles on ethics and philosophy of religion. Shawn Klein is Faculty Associate in Philosophy at Arizona State University. Tom Morris, who contributes a chapter on "If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts," is a nationally known inspirational and business speaker, and best-selling author of True Success, if Aristotle Ran General Motors, and Philosophy for Dummies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Open Court (September 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812694554
• ISBN-13: 978-0812694550
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new interest in philosophy, May 14, 2005

By	Chulis "CC" (MI) - See all my reviews

I loved this book!! It taught me so much about philosophy. I learned about what Aristotle says about friendship, about the relationship between good and evil, how I can build courage, how science in our world parallels magic in Harry's, why ambition can be good, reasons why criticisms of the Potter books are so often misguided, and so much more! I've loved Harry Potter for a long time, and could tell the authors did too, but I never realized how so many interesting points can be raised by the books. I especially enjoyed the essays dealing with space, time, different realities, and free will and foreknowledge. This book made me laugh and it made me excited about philosophy by making so many issues understandable with examples from the Harry Potter books. I highly recommend it, what great fun!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, entertaining, and practical reading!, September 18, 2005

By	Charissa R. Potts (Harper Woods, Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a philosophy major turned law student. It has been almost three years since my last philosophy class, and I am more than a little rusty on what I learned in college in my philosophy classes.

This book was fabulous! Using the Potter series as a springboard, Baggett's book explores disparate philosophical topics in a lucid, precise, and interesting manner. The book is separated into sixteen short essays that average about 7-10 pages. Each essay covers a different philosophical topic and illustrates its point by using examples from the Potter series. The essays are remarkably palatable and easy to read--I found that I could enjoy an essay before bed or on a short car trip.

Each essay is entertaining and educational. Want to know about Aristotilean ethics? Read Steve Patterson's essay on Ambition. There are also essays covering feminism, racial discrimination, and morality.

I would highly recommend this book to all readers, whether they're professional philosophers, armchair philosophers, or avid Potter fans. Where else can you gain a rudimentary understanding of the philosophy of Space and Time in just over thirteen pages?

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Painless Way to Learn Philosophy, January 15, 2005

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This series of books, popular culture and philosophy is fantastic. It seems that any popular movie, or TV series immediately generates a backlash. Two recent examples include the Harry Potter books and movies, and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. In the case of Harry Potter, fundamentalist Christians have lamented that the books are teaching witchcraft. In Passion, the movie is being charged as being anti-Semite.

In this series of books, prominent philosophers are being asked to comment on these charges and on the story contained in the movie. In contrast to the shrill, loud, emotionally loaded comments being made primarily to get attention to the commenter, here are thoughtful, reasoned essays that challenge the reader to think about and decide for himself about these charges.

These books make for absolutely delightful reading. It is a way to bring philosophy to the public in connection with a story that is familiar to a broad range of people.