Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy

GREGORY BASSHAM is chair of the Philosophy Department and a professor of philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He is coeditor of the forthcoming The Hobbit and Philosophy and has coedited The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy, The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy, and Basketball and Philosophy. WILLIAM IRWIN is a professor of philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles, including Batman and Philosophy, House and Philosophy, and Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy.

• FOREWORD BY TOM MORRIS xiACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Some House Points I’d Like to Award xvIntroduction: Harry Potter and the Enchantment of Philosophy 1PART ONE THE HORCRUX OF THE MATTER: DESTINY, IDENTITY, AND THE SOUL1 The Soul in Harry Potter 7Scott Sehon2 Sirius Black: Man or Dog? 22Eric Saidel3 Destiny in the Wizarding World 35Jeremy PiercePART TWO THE MOST POWERFUL MAGIC OF ALL4 Choosing Love: The Redemption of Severus Snape 53Catherine Jack Deavel and David Paul Deavel5 Love Potion No. 9¾ 66Gregory Bassham6 Harry Potter, Radical Feminism, and the Power of Love 80Anne Collins SmithPART THREE POTTERWATCH: FREEDOM AND POLITICS7 Patriotism, House Loyalty, and the Obligations of Belonging 97Andrew P. Mills8 Dumbledore’s Politics 113Beth Admiraal and Regan Lance Reitsma9 Dumbledore, Plato, and the Lust for Power 128David Lay Williams and Alan J. KellnerPART FOUR THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT: A POTTER POTPOURRI10 Is Dumbledore Gay? Who’s to Say? 143Tamar Szabó Gendler11 Choices vs. Abilities: Dumbledore on Self-Understanding 157Gregory Bassham12 The Magic of Personal Transformation 172S. Joel Garver13 Just in Your Head? J. K. Rowling on Separating Reality from Illusion 185John Granger with Gregory Bassham14 A Pensieve for Your Thoughts? Harry Potter and the Magic of Memory 198Amy Kind15 A Hogwarts Education: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 212Gregory BasshamPART FIVE BEYOND THE VEIL: DEATH, HOPE, AND MEANING16 The Real Secret of the Phoenix: Moral Regeneration through Death 229Charles Taliaferro17 Beyond Godric’s Hollow: Life after Death and the Search for Meaning 246Jonathan L. Walls and Jerry L. Walls18 Why Harry and Socrates Decide to Die: Virtue and the Common Good 258Michael W. AustinCONTRIBUTORS: The Hogwarts (for Muggles) Faculty 271THE MARAUDER ’ S INDEX 279

"Packed with interesting ideas and insights... an ideal companion for anyone interested in unraveling the subtext and exploring the greater issues." (Planet-Print Blog.com, July 2011)