FROM OUR EDITORS

Even those of us without a Hogwarts diploma know that the Harry Potter saga conceals hidden meanings. In this engaging collection of essays, 17 experts probe the philosophical implications of Harry's wizardly world. The contributors pose fascinating questions about the religion, morality, and magic; explain what Nearly Headless Nick can tell us about the relation of the mind to the brain; and discuss how Aristotle would run an academy for wizards. A grand entrance to the Great Hall.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

SYNOPSIS

Academic philosophers apply their field to the popular series of children's books and subsequent movies about a boy wizard going to wizard school. They cover the characters, morality, the dark arts, and metaphysics. Readers are expected to be intimately familiar with the books. There is no index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR