UK vs. US

[Bart Lidofsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 170548

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kristen" <hexicon at ...> wrote:
> What I don't understand is why "philosopher" must 
> become "sorcerer," "jumper" must become "sweater," but "spotted dick" 
> isn't changed!  That it's raisin pudding may be inferred from the 
> context, but I think that one gave nightmares to a generation of U.S. 
> kids <VBG>  

Bart:
First of all, The Philosopher's Stone was a real world concept in
alchemy; in a predecessor to Fred Kantor's Information Mechanics, in
that it was a theoretical construct that would alter the infomration
in an elemental structure, and cause transmutation by altering the
elemental balance. In spiritual alchemy, it was considered to be the
instrument of ultimate enlightment (what is referred to as "Moksha" in
Sanskrit); once one has created it, one has become one with the
Universe itself.

However, for decades, there has been a systematic degradation of the
study of philosophy in the United States, trying (with a great deal of
success) to brand it as a useless waste of time. This is neither the
time nor the place to get into the details (I have given a 1 1/2 hour
lecture on the subject in several venues), but part of the result was
that the term "philospher" or "philosophy" has become a major turn-off
in the United States for a lot of people. Scholastic Publishing, not
realizing what a hit they had on their hands, decided to get rid of
the word "philosopher", because they perceived American kids as never
having heard of the "philosopher's stone" (although it had been used
in comic books without any problem), and that the term "philosopher"
in the title would be a turn-off. JKR complied, although she has since
said that she regretted the decision.

Bart