Title: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Author: Eliezer Yudkowsky
First published March 14, 2015
2184 pages, ebook
Rating: 4.4
Overview
In this captivating alternate universe fan-fiction, Harry Potter is raised by a brilliant Oxford biochemistry professor after his mother marries into a family of scientific geniuses. Harry’s fascination with science and science fiction leads him down a unique path when he discovers he is a wizard.
Applying rational and scientific principles to the study of magic, Harry uncovers startling discoveries and unexpected outcomes. Join Harry on this thrilling adventure as he navigates a world where magic meets reason in Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.
About the Author
Eliezer Shlomo Yudkowsky is an AI researcher living in Redwood City, California. He is passionate about the singularity and advocates for friendly AI.
Interestingly, Yudkowsky did not attend high school and is self-taught in the field of AI. In 2000, he co-founded the nonprofit Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI) and remains a full-time Research Fellow there.
Yudkowsky’s research is focused on AI theory, specifically self-understanding, self-modification, and recursive self-improvement (seed AI). Additionally, he studies AI architectures and decision theories for creating benevolent motivational structures (such as Friendly AI and Coherent Extrapolated Volition).
In addition to his research, Yudkowsky writes about various philosophical topics in non-academic language, particularly on rationality. One notable example is “An Intuitive Explanation of Bayes’ Theorem”.
Yudkowsky was one of the main contributors to the blog Overcoming Bias, sponsored by the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University, along with Robin Hanson. In 2009, he helped to create Less Wrong, a community blog dedicated to improving human rationality.
The Sequences on Less Wrong, which span over two years of blog posts on epistemology, AI, and metaethics, are the most extensive collection of Yudkowsky’s writing.
Editoral Review
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, written by Eliezer Yudkowsky and first published on March 14, 2015, is a fanfiction novel that is part of the Harry Potter series. The novel is set in a parallel universe where Harry Potter is raised by an Oxford professor and grows up with a fascination for the scientific method and rationality.
The novel was originally published as a fanfiction on the website fanfiction.net, and due to its popularity, it was later published in book form. The novel is characterized by its unique take on the Harry Potter universe.
Yudkowsky’s novel is a rationalist take on the original series, with Harry using his knowledge of science and rationality to solve problems instead of relying on magic. Despite the change in approach, the novel still has many of the same elements that made the original series popular, including magic, adventure, and a coming-of-age story.
The novel follows Harry Potter as he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and attempts to use his newfound knowledge of rationality to succeed in his classes and solve the mystery of the philosopher’s stone. The novel also explores Harry’s relationships with his friends Hermione and Ron, as well as his interactions with the faculty at Hogwarts, including Albus Dumbledore.
One of the strengths of the novel is its exploration of rationality and the scientific method. Yudkowsky does an excellent job of explaining complex scientific concepts in a way that is easy for the reader to understand, while also making them relevant to the story.
The novel also does an excellent job of exploring Harry’s relationships with his friends and family, showing how his upbringing has affected his relationships and how he deals with interpersonal conflicts. However, the novel’s focus on rationality and science means that it can feel overly didactic at times.
Additionally, some readers may find that the novel’s approach to Harry Potter is too different from the original series, and that it detracts from the charm of the original books. Overall, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is an interesting and thought-provoking take on the Harry Potter universe.
While it may not be for everyone, for those interested in the intersection of science and magic, this novel is definitely worth checking out. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
