# Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004 "2010-11-17T18:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/21 "2010-12-09T00:04:17Z")
> [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](#): > > **Weedy** , I think I have an idea about your question. Spoilers up to basically the current point in the story, chapter 63. > > Dumbledore mentions at one point, when he thinks it was Voldemort Returned and not Harry that was involved in breaking Bellatrix out of Azkaban, that Voldemort is watching and learning from Harry (cf. use of Muggle rocketry). I think that’s why Voldemort is actually mentoring Harry - he knows Harry Potter caused his downfall once before, and he wants to thoroughly study and understand him as a precursor to rising again. That could be it. But He is taking an awful risk by letting Harry grow and learn so much. The two of them even had that conversation about what not to do as an evil overlord, though I don’t remember if they specifically mentioned not killing the hero when you have the chance. It’s pretty high on the list, though, of what not to do. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/22 "2013-11-11T04:34:17Z")
Bump! I just raced through this to the current chapter, 98. It’s very dark, but it’s also very entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/23 "2013-11-11T05:37:53Z")
I just finished chapter 90, and it’s gotten a bit dark for me. I was enjoying it before that though. It’s hard for me to see where it’s going now. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/24 "2013-11-11T15:45:52Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I just finished chapter 90, and it’s gotten a bit dark for me. I was enjoying it before that though. It’s hard for me to see where it’s going now. I admit that was pretty brutal, and I’m still reeling a bit from it. I’m still following it though. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/25 "2013-11-11T23:08:27Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I admit that was pretty brutal, and I’m still reeling a bit from it. I’m still following it though. Meh, we’ve been set up for a reversal for quite long time. It would have affected me more if I thought it would be permanent. This version of Harry will not lose to the sworn enemy of the Potter House. That enemy being Death itself, of course. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/26 "2013-11-11T23:45:00Z")
Anyone know when the next (and presumably final) story arc will begin? I’m chomping at the bit! By the way, I found a page with a bunch of fan theories, one of which I really love (spoiler boxing just because it’s a crazy theory): When Harry first shows up way back in chapters 1 and 2, people ask him “Are you Harry Potter” and he responds with something like “well, I have no reason to believe otherwise, people have been telling me that since I was little”. Clearly that just sounds like him being his slightly obnoxiously pedantic self. But it could also be a massive-in-plain-sight clue that he is NOT in fact Harry Potter. That Harry Potter, the blood son of the elder Potters, did in fact die, and the character Harry Potter that we’ve been reading about this whole time, who grew up thinking he was that son, is in fact… something else. Most likely, a part of Voldemort, with Quirrell being another part. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/27 "2013-11-12T00:20:02Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Meh, we’ve been set up for a reversal for quite long time. It would have affected me more if I thought it would be permanent. This version of Harry will not lose to the sworn enemy of the Potter House. > > That enemy being Death itself, of course. I actually kind of hope not. > [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Anyone know when the next (and presumably final) story arc will begin? I’m chomping at the bit! > > By the way, I found a page with a bunch of fan theories, one of which I really love (spoiler boxing just because it’s a crazy theory): > > When Harry first shows up way back in chapters 1 and 2, people ask him “Are you Harry Potter” and he responds with something like “well, I have no reason to believe otherwise, people have been telling me that since I was little”. Clearly that just sounds like him being his slightly obnoxiously pedantic self. But it could also be a massive-in-plain-sight clue that he is NOT in fact Harry Potter. That Harry Potter, the blood son of the elder Potters, did in fact die, and the character Harry Potter that we’ve been reading about this whole time, who grew up thinking he was that son, is in fact… something else. Most likely, a part of Voldemort, with Quirrell being another part. What a wild, intriguing theory. I may have to go back and reread in that light. According to someone on Reddit (yes, I know that’s not a formal cite), we’re getting two interim bits and then the final arc starts…guesses are that it would start in April or May. Actually, speaking of Reddit, there are lots of intriguing ideas there…I got lost a bit perusing them the last week or so. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/28 "2013-11-13T04:03:33Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I actually kind of hope not. I understand that hope, but I really don’t see any other way it can be dealt with. Harry is not going to have to just accept what happened, as that’s exactly what all the irrational, non-loving people do. And I don’t see Harry losing, either, as the purpose of the work is to promote rationality, not to condemn it. And while I would love a hero’s sacrifice, that doesn’t fit the rational framework either. Like it or not, Harry, with his intelligence, is worth more alive than Hermione. Finally, the author has said that the story will not have a twist–that he will not ever actively try to deceive the readers. If something appears to be true, it is true. So, unless someone can find something I’m missing or a flaw, I really think what I said is going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/29 "2013-11-13T04:32:59Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Harry, with his intelligence, is worth more alive than Hermione. There’s no female character worth as much as the main guys. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/30 "2013-11-14T23:02:13Z")
I read this fairly early in its development, and only got up to chapter 45 or so. So, I am anticipating what happens next, but I am rereading it from the beginning. I remembered some of the really remarkable stuff from the early chapters but I had forgotten how good the rest of it is. I wish this author had a proper editor and a publisher. She deserves to be known for her work. But, at least she gets to see what folks think about her work, which is the first thing I think of as an artist, the acclaim. That may be puerile, but I have sung songs that made people come to me afterward and thank me, and I am almost as proud of that as I am for my computer work. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/31 "2013-11-14T23:04:56Z")
The author is a woman? I thought it was a man. Was I mistaken? (I haven’t read the story for a long time–I think I stopped about halfway in and just never got back into it.) ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/32 "2013-11-15T00:05:52Z")
He’s a man named Eliezer Yudkowsky. Methods is written under the pseudonym Less Wrong, but his real identity doesn’t seem to be a big secret. It’s even mentioned on his Wikipedia page. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/33 "2013-11-15T07:18:17Z")
Sorry, y’all. When I don’t know the gender of a person, I default to feminine. What can I say? I like women. No, properly said, I love women. Yes, there you have it. I’m a flaming heterosexual. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/34 "2013-11-15T19:25:41Z")
Wow, **Gagundathar** , you managed to work your singing ability, your computer skills, _and_ your heterosexuality into a thread about a Harry Potter fanfic. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/35 "2013-11-16T01:49:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And I don’t see Harry losing, either, as the purpose of the work is to promote rationality, not to condemn it. Has he said that? I could see the conclusion being that rationality alone isn’t enough either. ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/36 "2013-11-25T05:04:29Z")
I started reading a week ago after reading this thread and am finally caught up now. I love it it! It went through some ups and downs but it’s definitely ramped up as it’s gone along. It may help that I’ve never read the books and therefore didn’t have to learn a new way of relating to the characters, so I wasn’t jarred by any reinterpretations of their character. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/37 "2013-12-17T01:43:52Z")
As of December 11, [the story continues.](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/99/Harry-Potter-and-the-Methods-of-Rationality) THREE new chapters, too! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/38 "2014-02-08T16:19:03Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Has he said that? I could see the conclusion being that rationality alone isn’t enough either. If we go with the idea that Harry represents a burgeoning artificial intelligence–one that is trying to be ethical–that might work. But I just don’t see the author, after going to such lengths to say how evil death is to then switch to the idea that it is acceptable. And that’s what he’d have to do to have that more poetic ending. Either Harry would accept it, or the world is doomed because Harry couldn’t accept it–both communicating that death is acceptable. Though I admit that the more recent updates make that last scenario seem more and more likely. Also, doing my best to keep this thread spoiler free since we’ve got some [new recruits](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17078545#post17078545) who may want to post. Heck, that’s why I’m resurrecting the thread. (For spoilered text like I included above, put [noparse][/noparse] around any text you want to hide. A thread full of spoilerboxes isn’t great, either.) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/39 "2014-02-09T09:54:22Z")
how far into the original series is this so far? I’ve downloaded a PDF file of 1633 pages and it’s up to chapter 95. I’m up to 15 and am downloading the podcasts as I go. Or have I asked a non-question? It appears to parallel things in a general way and I assume there’s still a theme of Harry vs Voldemort. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004/40 "2014-02-10T00:15:25Z")
Yes Harry vs. Voldy. But as I’m seeing it everything happens including the upcoming final showdown compressed in the first year. The author is dropping all sorts of references and things we learned in the next six years (books) backwards into the 101 chapters released do far. He said in the author notes after chapter 101; _The story currently has one more one-shot update left to go, and after that the long final arc which will wrap everything up with no loose ends, which I fondly hope to get done before the end of 2014._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality/561004.md?page=3)