Morality and Harry Potter

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 191826

Below you will find a quote that I found on the YouTube site of a young atheist. The original said 'religion', but in this case I will change that to 'law' because it applies just as well, and because I don't want to get in to a argument about religion. 

In this case, 'law' will mean law in the legal sense, but also in the sense of rules and regulations and similar. 


Morality is doing what is right regardless of what you are told.

(Law) is doing what you are told regardless of what is right.


Many have argued that Harry was a nasty little boy who did nothing but flout the rules and get into trouble. If he were a good boy, he would have stayed in his bed and let the adults handle it. 

Let the adults handle it for better or worse, though we know, without Harry's help, it would have always been for worse. 

As I have strongly counter argued in the past. Harry may not have obeyed the rules, but he always did what was right. 

He could not stand by and leave it to others, when it was clear that 'others' simply did not comprehend the source of the true danger, and they also seemed very adverse to listening to reason. 

To some, Harry's behavior was criminal. He disobeyed rules, he broke laws, he flouted authority at every turn, or so it seemed. 

To paraphrases Thomas Jefferson, 'the law is but the tyrants will'.

Harry did what was right, rather than what he was told. Would we really rather Harry did what he was told even when his conscience knew it was not right?  

An old argument, but I still, as always, side with Harry. 

Steve/bboyminn