Philosophy and Harry Potter

Adam B. Clark
Mr. Sciuto
Philosophy and Harry Potter

Harry Potter lives in a world of magic and unnatural things. In our society, we believe that our problems would easily be fixed if we could do magic. Although magic could solve some of our simple problems, it could not help problems that need thinking and action. The only things that can help us with these complicated problems are good virtues, but more specifically the virtue of courage.

Harry is a very courageous person throughout J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. He is able to overcome obstacles that one would view as insurmountable with the virtue of courage. He overcomes the fears that posses him and acts in a way that will benefit others, while sometimes hurting Harry in a certain way.

Harry is able to use this courage because he has these five things: preparation for challenges, support from friends and family, positive self-talk, the ability to see what is at stake, and the ability to take the correct actions. Preparation for challenge gives us the confidence we need to be as courageous as we can possibly be. Harry has the complete support of his good friends such as: Dumbledore, Hermione, and Hagrid, which enable him to have a strong confidence in him self. When Harry tells himself things like, “I will not get murdered”, it helps him believe that these things will not happen. Harry’s ability to focus on what is at stake helps him achieve great things like saving Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets when he could have been worrying about less important things. Harry’s sense of taking appropriate action helps him save the wizarding world when he decides to go to voldemort instead of staying in hiding inside the castle while his friends are fighting for him.