Post by @theogrin@chaosfem.tw

2026-08-25 01:18 UTC

@mxchara@cyberpunk.lol If there is one thing about HPMoR which has stuck with me, more than that rationalism is in short supply within the story... it's that the chief plot device which leads to the ultimate conclusion, established as a shining moment of brilliance which somehow occurs to an eleven-year-old who's just read enough books, is a perfectly sensible mechanism within a fantasy world but falls apart rather quickly within the boundaries of non-fictional reality and a world dispossessed of magic and/or time travel. It is also precisely the batshit Yudkowsky theory which led to the concept of Roko's Basilisk, and one which he seems to fundamentally believe. Other than that, it's an HP fanfic, so maybe avoid it because of that, too.

Replies (1)

@mxchara@cyberpunk.lol 2026-08-25 02:14

@theogrin@chaosfem.tw yeah, honestly you've about summarized why I'm interested in Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality at all instead of totally writing it off (like most such right-wing screeds) is this strange business of a rationalist deliberately choosing a slipshod work of fiction as his arena. I imagine that Yudkowsky imagined that he was commenting upon the stupidity of real-life human beings, lots of which is to be found in "Harry Potter", but already it's a serious red flag. He's picked an easy target, a bad fantasy book series that has an exceptionally poor grasp on what magic even is (beyond a handy plot-device) so it's like...why are you tilting at THIS windmill?

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