Oh, I’m sure you and I can come up with lots of rationalizations to justify using her. Problem is, Harry, in addition to being a rationalist, is also a fictional character.
Eliezer, through Harry has, thus far, had a certain sense of poetic justice. Using Bella as bait would go against that. The same drive that leads Harry to see himself as the mesiah of two worlds—the man who will kill death, that same drive will balk at using Bella. It’s too ugly.
I see your point. But becoming a Light Lord by using any sort of politics at all is too ugly in any case.
Harry has a contradiction to resolve one day. On the one hand, he disdains politics and “human stuff” and he also sees himself as rationally fighting human biases. On the other hand, he speaks in favor of democracy. I think if he ever tries his hand at actual democracy, he’ll soon realize that as Pratchett wrote (paraphrasing from memory), “it’s not that you have the wrong kind of government; it’s that you have the wrong of electorate”.
As I recall, the only time Harry advocated democracy was in chapter 35, in which he seemed to accept its shortcomings. He values democracy because of its practical effect at preventing the brutality possible in dictatorships rather than because he has any illusions or ideals about it.
Also, he seems to dislike the idea of becoming a politically powerful leader as his method of being a Light Lord. In the same chapter, he thought the appropriate way to tackle his Voldemort problem with a small party/fellowship rather than with an entire nation. Likewise, I can’t imagine him wanting to throw Manhattan Projects at his scientific/magical research interests rather than continuing to do what he is doing now; recruiting a small number of competent and like-minded people, such as Hermione, and getting them to help him. So unless Quirrel can convince or coerce him otherwise, I don’t think we will see Harry try his hand at public politics and democracy any time soon.
Oh, I’m sure you and I can come up with lots of rationalizations to justify using her. Problem is, Harry, in addition to being a rationalist, is also a fictional character.
Eliezer, through Harry has, thus far, had a certain sense of poetic justice. Using Bella as bait would go against that. The same drive that leads Harry to see himself as the mesiah of two worlds—the man who will kill death, that same drive will balk at using Bella. It’s too ugly.
I see your point. But becoming a Light Lord by using any sort of politics at all is too ugly in any case.
Harry has a contradiction to resolve one day. On the one hand, he disdains politics and “human stuff” and he also sees himself as rationally fighting human biases. On the other hand, he speaks in favor of democracy. I think if he ever tries his hand at actual democracy, he’ll soon realize that as Pratchett wrote (paraphrasing from memory), “it’s not that you have the wrong kind of government; it’s that you have the wrong of electorate”.
As I recall, the only time Harry advocated democracy was in chapter 35, in which he seemed to accept its shortcomings. He values democracy because of its practical effect at preventing the brutality possible in dictatorships rather than because he has any illusions or ideals about it.
Also, he seems to dislike the idea of becoming a politically powerful leader as his method of being a Light Lord. In the same chapter, he thought the appropriate way to tackle his Voldemort problem with a small party/fellowship rather than with an entire nation. Likewise, I can’t imagine him wanting to throw Manhattan Projects at his scientific/magical research interests rather than continuing to do what he is doing now; recruiting a small number of competent and like-minded people, such as Hermione, and getting them to help him. So unless Quirrel can convince or coerce him otherwise, I don’t think we will see Harry try his hand at public politics and democracy any time soon.
Looks like we’ll see what he thinks of that soon enough :-)
Of course, Quirrel probably doesn’t plan for Harry to rule the nation before finishing school, thus it’s outside the scope of this story.