Potterverse dualism (was Wizard religion)

[David <dfrankiswork@netscape.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48142

Pippin wrote:
>
> There are some things in the background of the story that make 
> me think the Wizard religion, or one of them, might be an 
> (imaginary) Gnostic sect. 

(Snip)

> Most of all, 
> Gnosticism is dualist: it posits good and evil as equal forces in 
> this world. 

I think the jury is still out on whether the Potterverse itself is 
dualist.  We know so little about what makes the Dark Arts dark: 
intention, the magic itself, or the ugliness of the means required to 
do it.

You could argue that many wizards are dualist in their outlook: 
Hagrid's loose references to the Dark Side (though it's unclear if he 
means the other side in a war, or the dark side of magic itself), the 
general belief among the student body in COS that to have defeated 
Voldemort as a baby Harry must be a powerful dark wizard, the belief 
that beings such as giants are intrinsically evil.

Dumbledore's statement that it might be good enough to continually in 
each generation keep Voldemort from coming back is intriguing in this 
light (assuming it's not tactical misdirection): if Dumbledore were a 
dualist he might say with Gandalf that every generation has its 
Voldemort, or that Voldemort is a catspaw of an eternal evil.

It's also interesting that though some Beasts are characterised as 
Dark there is no attempt to wipe them out systematically: it's OK to 
kill a Basilisk if it turns up at school, but wizarding legislation 
seems to recognise only danger, not evil, in Beasts.

David