Harry Potter - Fundamentalism ad Absurdum
Submitted by mwilliams on Fri, 2007-11-02 16:36.Absurdum is right. This fellow seems to be saying that because superstition and supernatural beliefs are not rational, the reader should not be permitted to suspend disbelief enough to enjoy a good supernatural story. “Rowling has induced millions of young people to cast aside reason…” Oh please. Ad absurdum…ad nauseam.
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If everything pagan, superstitious or supernatural (the author doesn't seem to make any distinction) in books is to be considered as leading people away from reason, then I submit that we must do away with Shakespeare, as his work features witches and ghosts galore. Also on the list of texts that would have to go would be Dracula, Wuthering Heights, all of Poe's works...the list is endless.
I think this guy needs to reconsider the meaning of fundamentalism. I don't think we can lump anything that isn't considered reasonable (by whose standards?) under that term. His own lack of reason is clearly showing. In fact, there are so many holes in his logic, it would take far too much space to point them all out. So I'll stop now.
There is no thief like a bad book
--Italian Proverb
Haha! This sounds like Richard Dawkins on steroids! It seems he's created his own fundamentalism.
Still, I wish the Potter books were a bit more realistic in a sense... what kind of job can you get when you don't even study math in school? I guess Hogwarths is a dream for kids tired of school... but personally, I'd liked it if Rowling had injected the story with a bit more science since it's real, unlike magic. Scientific discovery will lead to the great leaps mankind is bound to make, such as extended or unlimited lifespans, robotics, space exploration, breaking down cultural and language barriers by improving language technology, allowing more people access to education and knowledge not to mention fresh water and food.
So yeah, there's a point... but the write of that post has taken it a bit too far. Fact is, supernormal stuff, or what appears to be supernormal, makes for good storytelling.
Yes, it does make for good storytelling, and I think we all need to be taken out of the work-a-day world every now and then, even the young. Not every book can or should promote science. If we didn't need fantasy it wouldn't exist and wouldn't be so popular. It speaks to a need we have to step out of our percieved reality, if only for a short time. We need only believe in the fiction for the time we are in that fictional world. There's nothing wrong with a vacation for the mind.
There is no thief like a bad book
--Italian Proverb
I might have agreed with you once, back when I was a fantasy junkie and couldn't get enough of magic, castles and wizards. Nowadays, I prefer reading about science that's as fantastic as magic, but still not entirely pulled out of someone's ass. I need stuff to be believable, both in characterizations and in all other aspects. Fiction that is irrational really nags my mind! :)
No, wait, I just lied. I like Stephen King's and Neil Gaiman's stuff and it's far from rational... LOL! :)
Ha! Well, there you go. Even the staunch cognitive science types need a reality shift occasionally. I rest my case. :)
There is no thief like a bad book
--Italian Proverb