Harry a Seer?

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49539

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Maria Kirilenko
<maria_kirilenko at y...> wrote:
> 
>  
>  Maria originally wrote:
> 
> > Yes, but Seeing and Divination is, as I understand it, the 
> > *ability to predict the future.* 
> > 
> > Maria
> 
> bboy_mn originally adds:
> 
> Regardless of your personal definition of 'Seeing'; Harry is seeing.
> And regardless of the reason for his ability, he is still
> demonstrating psychic ability.
> 
> Harry is clairvoyant. 
> -end this part-
> 
> Maria replies:
> 
> Well, I guess that one can call seeing 'live' events Seeing if one 
> wants to, although I personally think that the term should be used 
> only for the ability to predict the future. 
> -end this part-

bboy_mn:
>From the Skeptic's Dictionary- http://skepdic.com/contents.html
Clairvoyancs come in two types; PREcognition and RETROcognition.
Precognition of course means to know the future. Retrocognition means
to know the past. Relative to retrocognition, think of psychics that
help with police investigations. They attempt to 'see' details of
events that have already occurred.

Now the knowledge gained from retrocognition still relates to the
future. For example, divining where a treasure is buried, leads you to
finding the treasure at some future date. Harry knowing what Voldemort
is doing in the present, will effect how events play out in the future. 

Psychic seeing is the ability to know or see things that it would
normally be impossible for you to know, whether it be the past,
present, or the future. It is to see with the mind rather than the eye.
-bboy_mn - end this part-


Maria continues with her responce:

I agree that Harry is clairvoyant, but I say that: 
> 
> 1. It's not a special gift, as it's the result of Voldemort 
> Ak'ing Harry 
> 
> 2. We don't have any evidence of Harry being able to see the 
> *future,* which seems to me the most useful part of Seeing 
> 
> 3. His "gift" (or curse <g> ) doesn't cover anything except 
> Voldemort.
> 
> So, I am willing to say that Harry is a *very* limited Seer, and no
more, although in the pending war even this limited ability will be
very useful. But his gift wouldn't let him win at chess or Quidditch,
for example.
> 
> Maria

bboy_mn:
With the exception of Seeing being relative to the future only, I
agree with the points you made. SO FAR, all the evidence says that
Harry's ability is tied directly to and limited to Voldemort, so I
can't show evidence that Harry is anything beyond 'a very limited Seer'.

On the other hand, Harry's life is so dominated by Voldemort that it
may be overwhelming his natural seeing ability. Again, there is no
real evidence to support this theory, but it is possible.

It seems that the only point we really disagree on is the need for a
Seer to only see into the future, and again, that hinges on the
definition used. True most psychic seeing is related to seeing into
the future. But the ability to see into the present and the past, by
my definition, are still valid forms of psychic seeing.

Just a few more thoughts.

bboy_mn