Harry Potter Grows Up, Goes Mainstream

The New York Times has introduced “a new opinion series that will feature the writings of contemporary philosophers on issues both timely and timeless — art, war, ethics, gender, popular culture and more.” Called The Stone, in what I assume to be a reference to the famed Philosopher’s Stone (the title of the Original Harry Potter book published in England was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone but the title was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerers's Stone for the American market because it was thought Americans would be more enamoured by a sorcerer than a philosopher).

The first two installments, an introduction and a major opinion piece, appeared May 16th.

I applaud the New York Times for bringing Philosophical discourse back into the public sphere where it has always belonged. Society suffers when Philosophy is relegated to the ivy covered halls of Academia. If as many Americans will read and reflect upon the Time's series as pereused and pondered the first Harry Potter Book, our civic discourse might rise above our current sophomoric level and resemble something more fitting of an enlightened democracy.