Rita - Luna and the Qubbler

[Charles Walker Jr]

No: HPFGUIDX 169557

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:
<snip of a GREAT post>
> Rita took a seed of truth and spun it into a functional
> lie. Luna and her father take pure fantasy which they
> assume to be true and publish it as if it were true.
> Surely you must see the difference? 

You've hit the nail of the prime dilemma of ethics square on the head.
Situations and circumstances matter in ethics. Trying to trim this bit
or that bit because it doesn't fit the theory, or even just because
you forgot it puts you in danger of making a faulty ethical judgment.
One line forgotten or misprinted in a fiction book can jeopardize the
whole of the ethic it is trying to get across. 

Not to offend, as I've some problems with the ethics of the books
myself, but we encounter this problem very often in judgments of Snape
almost as often as Hermione (and I'm certainly going to be just as at
fault as anyone else. We are operating under the two conditions that
everyone who undertakes to make a judgment of ethics is hampered by.
Our own viewpoints and experiences, and lack of information. We lack
many points of information in these stories. We get only occasional
glimpses of the minds of characters other than Harry, and therefore do
not know their motivations. Motive, at least in the US justice system
figures a great deal as to whether an action is legal or not.
(Self-defense springs immediately to mind.)

I would love to make this a great deal longer, but the workday beckons.

(Opinion disclaimer: This post reflects my opinions, and only my
opinions. If you take it as pure truth from the mouth of an expert,
the fault is yours.)

Charles, who hopes he got his point across, but will try and reframe
it this evening if he failed.