Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

[Jasper]

I haven't, and I should.  I may even have a copy somewhere in my collection...

[Kai]

I haven't, and I should.  I may even have a copy somewhere in my collection...

http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F373&viewtype=text&pageseq=1

[Jasper]

Sweet link, thanks! 

More inspiration to spring for an e-reader. 

[Kai]

Sweet link, thanks! 

More inspiration to spring for an e-reader. 

Most of the best books ever written are out of copyright, and can be easily obtained online for free and completely legal. Remember this. Internet Archive is your friend.

[BabylonHoruv]

I'd be really happy if he posted another chapter soon.  All my other light reading has really boring, unintelligent protagonists.

Have you read On the Origin of Species yet? That one has a kickass protagonist, really intelligent too.

Is that written as a narrative?  Not a complaint about it, just that a narrative, even with some really interesting philosophical or scientific questions in it, engages my brain in a very different way than an academic paper, which is what I had always assumed Origin to be.

[Kai]

I'd be really happy if he posted another chapter soon.  All my other light reading has really boring, unintelligent protagonists.

Have you read On the Origin of Species yet? That one has a kickass protagonist, really intelligent too.

Is that written as a narrative?  Not a complaint about it, just that a narrative, even with some really interesting philosophical or scientific questions in it, engages my brain in a very different way than an academic paper, which is what I had always assumed Origin to be.

It's partially narrative and partially discussion of evidence. Scientists wrote differently in the 19th century, there was expectation of good writing because otherwise no one would read it. That being said, Voyage of the Beagle, and Darwin's Autobiography are more like narratives than On the Origin, On the Descent, and Expressions of the Emotions.

Those five books are the best that Darwin wrote. The rest of his works were more specialist, like the writing on atol formation, or worms, or carnivorous plants, or orchids, or barnacles.

[Cain]

How does the villain hold up to Darwin, or compare to Voldemort?  If he doesn't assassinate a journalist while going for a cup of coffee, I wont be happy.

[Kai]

How does the villain hold up to Darwin, or compare to Voldemort?  If he doesn't assassinate a journalist while going for a cup of coffee, I wont be happy.

Darwin fanfiction...

[Cain]

A steampunk-esque fanfic with Darwin as the hero would be amazing.

[Don Coyote]

A steampunk-esque fanfic with Darwin as the hero would be amazing.

I somehow think someone might have already done this.

[Cain]

Quite probably.  If so, I hope it was the guy who wrote "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer".

[Cain]

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2087198/EliezerYudkowsky and http://yudkowsky.net/other/fiction/ by the way.

[Remington]

A steampunk-esque fanfic with Darwin as the hero would be amazing.

[Kai]

A steampunk-esque fanfic with Darwin as the hero would be amazing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Comstock:_A_Story_of_22nd-Century_America

http://futurismic.com/2010/09/02/chuck-darwin-steampunk-terraformer-to-her-majesty-queen-victoria/

[Cain]

Incidentally, this story is lulzworthy:

GENERAL FRED:  The reports are confirmed.  New York has been overrun... by zombies.

COLONEL TODD:  Again?  But we just had a zombie invasion 28 days ago!

GENERAL FRED:  These zombies... are different.  They're... philosophical zombies.

CAPTAIN MUDD:  Are they filled with rage, causing them to bite people?

COLONEL TODD:  Do they lose all capacity for reason?

GENERAL FRED:  No.  They behave... exactly like we do... except that they're not conscious.

(Silence grips the table.)

COLONEL TODD:  Dear God.

(Cut to two POLICE OFFICERS, guarding a dirt road leading up to the imposing steel gate of a gigantic concrete complex.  On their uniforms, a badge reads "BRIDGING LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY".)

OFFICER 1:  You've got to watch out for those clever bastards.  They look like humans.  They can talk like humans.  They're identical to humans on the atomic level.  But they're not human.

OFFICER 2:  Scumbags.

The huge noise of a throbbing engine echoes over the hills.  Up rides the MAN on a white motorcycle.  The MAN is wearing black sunglasses and a black leather business suit with a black leather tie and silver metal boots.  His white beard flows in the wind.  He pulls to a halt in front of the gate.

The OFFICERS bustle up to the motorcycle.

OFFICER 1:  State your business here.

MAN:  Is this where you're keeping David Chalmers?

OFFICER 2:  What's it to you?  You a friend of his?

MAN:  Can't say I am.  But even zombies have rights.

OFFICER 1:  All right, buddy, let's see your qualia.

MAN:  I don't have any.

OFFICER 2 suddenly pulls a gun, keeping it trained on the MAN.  OFFICER 2:  Aha!  A zombie!

OFFICER 1:  No, zombies claim to have qualia.

OFFICER 2:  So he's an ordinary human?

OFFICER 1:  No, they also claim to have qualia.

The OFFICERS look at the MAN, who waits calmly.

OFFICER 2:  Um...

OFFICER 1:  Who are you?

MAN:  I'm Daniel Dennett, bitches.

Seemingly from nowhere, DENNETT pulls a sword and slices OFFICER 2's gun in half with a steely noise.  OFFICER 1 begins to reach for his own gun, but DENNETT is suddenly standing behind OFFICER 1 and chops with a fist, striking the junction of OFFICER 1's shoulder and neck.  OFFICER 1 drops to the ground.

OFFICER 2 steps back, horrified.

OFFICER 2:  That's not possible!  How'd you do that?

DENNETT:  I am one with my body.

DENNETT drops OFFICER 2 with another blow, and strides toward the gate.  He looks up at the imposing concrete complex, and grips his sword tighter.

DENNETT (quietly to himself):  There is a spoon.