Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010 - (Page 26)

istock/BoNotoM by Charles R. Comer & Seeking Virtue at Hogwarts and in Athens I birthplace of Western philosophy is closer to the pre-eminent school of wizardry than you might think. If knowledge is power, and magic is power, then a wise wizard must be very powerful indeed. But as Plato made clear, and as Harry Potter exempli es, the ingredient that makes life worth living—and that makes a powerful wizard a great one—is the quality known as virtue. t’s a long way from Athens to Hogwarts, but perhaps the Many people hold the simplistic belief that ethics is about rules and following them. Indeed, there is a component of ethics that examines such concepts, and philosophers spend considerable time and energy trying to gure out what those rules might be and how to justify them. But virtue is a di erent kind of ethics. Instead of asking what one should do, virtue ethics asks what kind of person one should be. It asks about character. What makes Harry Potter a great wizard is not just his talents at wizardry, but also his character. is is what we see Dumbledore praising more than anything: Harry’s virtue. Mar/Apr 2010 26 imagine imagine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note
Big Questions
In My Own Words
Why Study Philosophy?
The Great Conversation
Robots, Zombies, and Descartes
The Wide World of Philosophy
The Philosopher’s Toolbox
Bad Dreams, Evil Demons, and The Experience Machine
Harry Potter and Plato
Exploring Ethics (or, Why I Give Up Saturdays in Spring)
How to Start a Philosophy Club
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Middle Ground
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Sudoku
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010