Urging readers of the Harry Potter series to dig deeper than wizards, boggarts, and dementors, the authors of this unique guide collect the musings of seventeen philosophers on the series, who cover a wide range of Potter-related philosophical issues, including the difference between good and evil, the ethics of sorcery, and Aristotle's own school for wizards. Original In 'Harry Potter and Philosophy', 17 philosophical experts unlock some of Hogwarts' secret panels, and uncover surprising insights that are enlightening both for wizards and the most discerning muggles. 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