Philosophy means "the love of wisdom," and the questions philosophers ask are some of the most fundamental questions of life.  Studying philosophy helps students expand their worldviews, form their own moral codes, and develop their critical thinking skills.  One great way for students to delve in to these ideas and concepts is through the lens of a favorite work of literature.  (See also my class on "The Hobbit and Philosophy!")  

This class is designed for students who have already read (and loved!) the Harry Potter books.  This will be a discussion-based class looking at a different topic in philosophy each class session.  We will first discuss a question or idea in general, and then apply what we've discussed to the world of Harry Potter.  

We will discuss the following topics:

We will learn about the utilitarian approach to ethics, which seeks to maximize the overall good, and the very different rule-based approach to ethics.  Then we will discuss whether Dumbledore behaved ethically when he was prepared to sacrifice Harry, an innocent teenager, in order to save everyone else.

What are the elements of a good education?  In what ways did Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry provide a great education?  And were there ways Hogwarts failed its students?

We will talk about our own ideas on what qualities make a good leader, as well as the ideas of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato.  We will then apply these concepts to various people in the Harry Potter books in order to address our ultimate question:  who would make a good minister of magic, and why?  

We will learn about the different kinds of love described by the ancient Greek philosophers, and ask whether various people in the magical world experienced those different kinds of love.  Did Severus Snape experience the kind of self-sacrificing love known as agape, or not?

We will analyze Dumbledore's statement to Harry that "It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities."  What can we learn about a person from the choices they make?  Are a person's actions the only thing that matter, or is it also important to know why they acted as they did?