MeasureofDoubt.com questions “What Would a Rational Gryffindor Read?”

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Measure of Doubt is a website dedicated to theoretical discussions and evaluating brain puzzles about philosophy, math and the sciences, but recently they have turned their analytical gaze to Harry Potter.

The topic? What would a rational Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin read? Here is an excerpt from the original article addressing how one might answer this question.

While reading Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, I realized that there’s actually quite a lot of potential for interesting reading in each house. Ravenclaws would be interested in philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and mathematics; Gryffindors in combat, ethics, and democracy; Slytherins in persuasion, rhetoric, and political machination; and Hufflepuffs in productivity, happiness, and the game theory of cooperation.

The author of this article (Jesse Galef) has created four book shelves which he believes reflect good reading for each individual house. Check them all out in our gallery.

Did the books he picked for your own house seem like ones you would want to read? Further is his assessment about the houses and what kinds of books they would want to read too limited, or is his theory perfectly sound? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks to my roommate Sean V. for the tip!