Faced with corruption, bureaucracy, and arbitrary rules, Harry and others work for good by rebelling. Instead of obeying Ministry decrees, they develop their own morality and break school rules and wizarding law. Harry shows who he is more by rebelling than by following rules, as do many characters. This talk will explore the moral development of Harry, Snape, and other characters, and it will touch very briefly on some aspects of Cursed Child. The script for these slides is at http://racheljoi.com/2016/rational-rebellion-morality-and-the-rule-of-law-in-harry-potter

1. rational rebellion
MORALITY AND THE RULE OF LAW IN HARRY POTTER

2. KRAFT PAPER
rachel kibler

3. rational rebellion
MORALITY AND THE RULE OF LAW IN HARRY POTTER

4. KRAFT PAPER
rebellion: the act of
resisting an
established authority or
influence

5. KRAFT PAPER
mascot for the ministry

6. executive
judicial
legislative
executive judicial legislative
Muggle Separation of Powers in
Governmental Branches
Ministry of Magic Siloed
Governmental Branches

8. KRAFT PAPER
tort law

14. KRAFT PAPEROctober 22, 2016 1 5
“Friendship strengthens the soul’s integrity: friends become better people by
acting for the other’s good and building virtue. In short, loving makes us fully
human.”
loyalty and bravery

15. KRAFT PAPER
Characteristics
courage
wisdom
justice
self-control
October 22, 2016 1 6
philosopher rulers
Quotes
“It is our choices that show what we
truly are much more than our
abilities.”
“We define ourselves and our
deepest values by the choices we
make day by day, hour by hour, over
a lifetime.”

17. KRAFT PAPER
“love requires self-sacrifice, binds
one’s happiness to the good of
another, makes one vulnerable to
loss and grief, and strengthens
one’s commitment to the good.”

19. KRAFT PAPER
Scorpius Malfoy
“I hated it there. Cedric was a different
person entirely—dark, dangerous. My
dad—doing anything they wanted him to.
And me? I discovered another Scorpius,
you know? Entitled, angry, mean—people
were frightened of me. It feels like we
were all tested and we all—failed.”
“And I wish I could tell my dad—well, I’m
not sure what. I think I’d like to tell him
that I’m occasionally capable of more
bravery than he might think I am.”
cursed child

20. KRAFT PAPER
“we cannot protect the
young from harm. pain
must and will come.
you’re supposed to teach
them how to meet life.”
-
dumbledore

21. KRAFT PAPER
“there is never a perfect answer in this
messy, emotional world. perfection is
beyond the reach of humankind,
beyond the reach of magic. in every
shining moment of happiness is that
drop of poison: the knowledge that
pain will come again. be honest to
those you love, show your pain. to
suffer is as human as to breathe.”
-dumbledore

22. KRAFT PAPER
Thoughts & Words
• Benjamin Barton
• Gregory Bassham
• Catherine Jack Deaval & David Paul
Deaval
• John Gava & Jeannie Marie Paterson
• Edmund Kern
• Wendy N. Law & Anna K. Teller
• Andrew P. Morriss
• Lana Whited
October 22, 2016 2 3
credits
Images
• allegradavis.wordpress.com (broken wand)
• hh-sugarquill.dreamwidth.org (Marietta)
• Harry Potter Wikia
• Potter Wikia
• Pottermore