Harry Potter And The Methods Of Rationality
I am amused by this fanfic, which describes what would have happened if Harry Potter had been sufficiently adult at the age of eleven to excel in skeptical mental habits. I found out about it through saizai. An excerpt:
"I... see," Professor McGonagall said. "And if, say, you were to discover the entrance to Salazar Slytherin's legendary Chamber of Secrets, an entrance that you and you alone could open..."
"I would close the entrance and report to you at once so that a team of experienced magical archaeologists could be assembled," Harry said promptly. "Then I would open up the entrance again and they would go in very carefully to make sure that there was nothing dangerous. I might go in later to look around, or if they needed me to open up something else, but it would be after the area had been declared clear and they had photographs of how everything looked before people started tromping around their priceless historical site."
Professor McGonagall sat there with her mouth open, staring at him like he'd just turned into a cat.
"It's obvious if you're not a Gryffindor," Harry said kindly.
Comments
fiat-knox on Jun. 30, 2010 8:34 AM — Thank you
Thank you for this. How many "heroes" in science fiction and fantasy, right up to the modern incarnation of Doctor Who, just blunder into a secret chamber without first securing the scene? :)
nicegeek on Jun. 30, 2010 3:30 PM
The problem is that good tactics is not the same as good drama. For example, in an RPG, characters who use good tactics will often plan for every contingency, and cause an anticlimatic ending that bores and frustrates players who are looking for a dramatic conclusion. Conversely, characters who take the dramatically interesting course of action will often deliberately make imprudent choices, thereby frustrating the tactical players with their ineptitude.
I've found that it's critical to coordinate these expectations before the game starts.
matt-arnold on Jun. 30, 2010 10:05 PM
I've been there. We thought we were coordinating a lot of expectations, but missed several factors which turned out to be crucial. This was one.
As it is, "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality" is fascinating me in a completely different way than the source material.
selki on Aug. 23, 2010 2:07 AM
As it is, "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality" is fascinating me in a completely different way than the source material.
Yes.
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