Is Harry an idiot because he thinks Snape is guilty?/Some UV again (LONG)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 140617

Alla wrote:
> <snip> I disagree even with such statement, Pippin. Under
circumstances I believe he IS acting rationally. Again, he may not
know the whole story, but I believe it is completely rationally for
him considering the evidence he has to want to avenge Dumbledore's
death. JMO, of course.

Carol responds:

According to Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary, "rational"
means "relating to, based on, or agreeable to reason." "Reason" means
"the power of comprehending, inferring, or thinking, especially in
orderly, rational ways" or "proper exercise of the mind."

While I admit that's a slightly circular definition (surely "rational"
should not be included in the definition of "reason" since "reason" is
necessarily included in the definition of "rational"), the concept
should nevertheless be clear.

Harry is not employing reason (orderly or logical thinking). He's
employing emotion--his horror at the death of his supposedly
all-powerful mentor and his pre-existing hatred of Snape intensified
by his brand-new discovery that Snape is the spy who informed
Voldemort of the Prophecy that resulted in the death of his parents.

Under the circumstances, even a calm, nonjudgmental (rational) person
who normally uses inductive or inductive reasoning to arrive at
logical conclusions would have difficulty seeing the whole picture or
viewing Snape as innocent until proven guilty. As I said in another
post, the evidence of his senses (what he sees with his own eyes)
would seem sufficient to "prove" that Snape murdered Dumbledore. But
such a person would not, I hope, attempt to punish the "murderer" by
Crucioing him--a weapon Harry knows to be evil and used exclusively by
Death Eaters and Voldemort. And such a person would also, I hope,
become aware when his mental state returned to normal that what he saw
with his own eyes contained some strange anomalies. But Harry, who is
more in touch with his emotions than his intellect and is not known
for weighing pros and cons before he rushes to rescue people, will
need some help if he is ever to react rationally to Dumbledore's
death, or rather to Snape's role in bringing it about.

Harry's reaction is *understandable.* It's normal for anyone, adult or
teenager, to be angry when someone he perceives as his enemy hurts
someone he loves, and it's natural (if not right or moral) to want to
hurt them in return. But it is not *rational*--and I think JKR has
shown with Peter Pettigrew in PoA that she does not regard revenge as
right. 

Harry has yet to examine the evidence and employ *reason* to
understand it. Quite possibly he's incapable of doing so, at least in
this instance. But Hermione isn't, and neither is Lupin. I'm hoping
he'll provide them with sufficient details about the events on the
tower and about Snape in general that they will start questioning what
Harry takes for granted. At that point, we'll see a genuinely rational
reaction.

Carol