JKR's Messages (was Re: Hermione In Trouble?)

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 120836


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "davewitley" 
<dfrankiswork at n...> wrote:
> 
> Carol:  
>> I don't know about either of you, but I'm bothered by the word
>> "innate," which suggests that their goodness is inborn--a concept 
>> very much at odds with the idea of choice. If they're innately 
>> good, they can make mistakes (and they do), but they can't become 
>> evil. 

> Dave:

<snip>

> I still think, though, that she seems to be saying that the trio 
> will make good choices (and not because she has absolute control as 
> author), which obviously raises the vexed question of what is meant 
> by a choice if it's not a morally neutral one.

If I may just add in, yet again, the famous and perhaps fundamentally 
thematic quote from Dumbledore in CoS is that our choices SHOW what 
we really are.  This does speak to a certain, perhaps uncomfortable 
to some, evocation of essentialism.  However, it's part of the 
cosmology, and cosmology may be criticised (you don't have to like 
it), but it's THERE, and must be accepted as such.

My personal parsing is that, in JKR's world, I suspect that some 
people are more inclined to do what is good, and some inclined to do 
what is evil.  Those essences are affected by upbringing, but their 
manifestation into the world is a case of choice on the part of the 
person.  Draco, for instance, is naturally inclined to be selfish and 
jealous, and his choices as manifested in his actions show us this.  
Snape is naturally inclined to be god-knows-what...forget I mentioned 
him.  Pointless to argue about a character who none of us really 
understand.  Harry is naturally inclined to be a good person, and at 
times has to struggle to make the choices that correspond.  Compared 
to Draco, perhaps it's that Draco is unwilling to invest the effort?

Let's not talk about free will.  Please.  :)

-Nora goes off to play with the dogs: woof.