Harry Potter is vile: This is why...

Renton405 said:

So it is correct just because it is knowledge?? Knowledge to make the hydrogen bomb?? knowledge on how to kill people in a better faster way?? knowledge to increase the pain and hardship of others??

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Knowledge is knowledge. If the knowledge to make a hydrogen bomb was false, the bomb would not work. It is also much of the same knowledge required to understand how a hydrogen bomb works as to create nuclear energy. Whether it is right to use either hydrogen bombs or nuclear power has nothing to do with knowledge but rather with ethics and wisdom. Most of the knowledge of how to increase the pain and hardship of others can also be used to ease the pain and hardship of others -- it is not knowledge that is good or evil but rather the use to which we put it.

Renton405 said:

Golden Compass is anything but the pursuit of knowledge. And since atheism makes no claims how do you know what true knowledge is in the first place??

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Because we have science. Science is the pursuit of knowledge, and the Golden Compass enourages a scientific frame of mind (sceptisism, pragmatism, parsimonous thought, etc)

Renton405 said:

So it is correct just because it is knowledge?? Knowledge to make the hydrogen bomb?? knowledge on how to kill people in a better faster way?? knowledge to increase the pain and hardship of others??

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Yes. The knowledge to do all these things is correct because it works. Is it moral to use this knowledge? That is up to the individual, but I daresay most people would say 'no'.

The nuclear bomb, for instance, was devised in part using the knowledge derived by Einstein. If we take the bomb's wartime detonation to be 'bad', does that make Special Relativity 'bad'? Does it make Einstein 'bad'? My contention is that it does not. 'Evil' is a word ascribed to actions, not inanimate and impartial truths.

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Wiccan_Child said:

Because we have science. Science is the pursuit of knowledge, and the Golden Compass enourages a scientific frame of mind (sceptisism, pragmatism, parsimonous thought, etc)


Yes. The knowledge to do all these things is correct because it works. Is it moral to use this knowledge? That is up to the individual, but I daresay most people would say 'no'.

The nuclear bomb, for instance, was devised in part using the knowledge derived by Einstein. If we take the bomb's wartime detonation to be 'bad', does that make Special Relativity 'bad'? Does it make Einstein 'bad'? My contention is that it does not. 'Evil' is a word ascribed to actions, not inanimate and impartial truths.

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Some things are just better left unknown..People need to concentrate more on personal wellness and family.

Renton405 said:

Golden Compass is anything but the pursuit of knowledge. And since atheism makes no claims how do you know what true knowledge is in the first place??

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That's merely your opinion. Of course you're going to be against it, because it has a number of anti-religious themes.

Your question is a complete non-sequitur.

Renton405 said:

Some things are just better left unknown..People need to concentrate more on personal wellness and family.

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Says you. Don't forget that we are far more well-equipped to 'concentrate on personal wellness and family' because of scientific progress and scientific progress alone. Without science, we'd be spending most of our time fending off predators and rummaging in sparse vegetation. As it is, I can just go to my fridge.

I am a scientist firstly to satisfy my insatisfiable curiosity, and secondly to embetter my species (taking special care of my kith and kin).

I can't think of one single thing that is better left unknown.

flicka said:

I can't think of one single thing that is better left unknown.

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I can. When my daughter loses her virginity...

Renton405 said:

Some things are just better left unknown..People need to concentrate more on personal wellness and family.

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yes because that has always made the world better and safer, ignorance is bliss i guess, with your belief you must be really blissful then?

IzzyPop said:

I can. When my daughter loses her virginity...

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LOLZ. Touche

flicka said:

I can't think of one single thing that is better left unknown.

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Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

morningstar2651 said:

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

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You know what's creepy? I just finished reading it last night
Bursting bladders and voodoo orgies, indeed.

Fineous_Reese said:

well, sure, and you could use that argument to say that as both milk and urine are liquids excreted from cows that for all intents and purposes they are the same. got urine?

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Umm.. no, I wouldn't say that at all. Cow milk is nourishment for calves (and humans). It's chock full of good-for-you stuff like vitamins and minerals. Urine is waste excrement, and not fit for comsumption. The only real similarities are that they are both liquids. Only cows produce milk, while both cows and bulls excrete urine. Conversely, the Bible and Harry Potter books are, well, both Books chock full of fiction - containing a central hero, magic, etc. If you're attempting to debunk my analogy, try harder. Your analogy fails, epicly.

selfinflikted said:

Umm.. no, I wouldn't say that at all. Cow milk is nourishment for calves (and humans). It's chock full of good-for-you stuff like vitamins and minerals. Urine is waste excrement, and not fit for comsumption. The only real similarities are that they are both liquids. Only cows produce milk, while both cows and bulls excrete urine. Conversely, the Bible and Harry Potter books are, well, both Books chock full of fiction - containing a central hero, magic, etc. If you're attempting to debunk my analogy, try harder. Your analogy fails, epicly.

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Besides, I haven't read about Harry Potter killing off entire nations -- men, women, and children.

(If the genocide happens in the last book, don't tell me. I haven't read it yet. )

morningstar2651 said:

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

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Yeah, but I already know that one, and it hasn't hurt me in the slightest.


eudaimonia,

Mark

TheManeki said:

Besides, I haven't read about Harry Potter killing off entire nations -- men, women, and children.

(If the genocide happens in the last book, don't tell me. I haven't read it yet. )

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Me either. I have a general rule of thumb about books that are made into movies and it is thus:

In most cases, it goes without saying a book will be better than it's movie counterpart. That said, I like to wait and watch the movie first for a couple of reasons. Firstly and most important, the movie gives a visual illustration of what the characters look like. I hate to read the books first and imagine in my head what they would look like, only to see the movie later and have the characters look absolutely nothing like I had imagined. It ruins the whole experience. Secondly, the book will fill in the parts the movie will inevitably leave out. In that respect, it's interesting to go back and read the book for minor details not found in the film.

Renton405 said:

Golden Compass is anything but the pursuit of knowledge. And since atheism makes no claims how do you know what true knowledge is in the first place??

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The Golden Compass is about how the church suppresses knowledge (and people in general).

The church wants to sever the link between humans and their daemons because think dust is original sin, and that daemons attract dust. However, dust is what allows humans to gain knowledge, and is a part of human nature, as are the daemons.

It reflects how the church tries to suppress knowledge, such as evolution, etc, and how they tell people they should suppress their nature (i.e. homosexual people).

ShieldOFaith said:

The Harry Potter (from now on will be referenced as H.P.) series is vile. Period. End of remark.

The vileness comes from the fact that this author is deliberately introducing children to witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy... let's just boil it down to the Occult!!! This is beyond vile. We will have to make new words to show how disgusting and vile this is.

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You mean it´s even more vile than your "saga" in which you introduce your characters to things like violent gang rape orgies?

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the Occult could be any knowledge outside the mainstream, SoF. Watch your terminology.