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Harry Potter vs. Science!

2013-08-16 · Hank · watch on YouTube · Pop culture · reflection essay

On a night bench in London, Hank pits the Natural History Museum against the Harry Potter Studio Tour in superlatives, declares a tie, and says science's drive toward truth and Harry Potter's drive toward goodness are guiding principles of his life.

What is said

00:00:00 — Night in London; what to talk about; the Tube, Brighton Beach and Hampstead Heath crossed off

  • ★★ Hank, filming at night in London, says he has been having a fantastic time there and must decide what to discuss. — 00:00:00
  • ★ Hank considers and crosses off the London Tube, Brighton Beach and Hampstead Heath as topics. — 00:00:12

00:00:28 — The two must-dos: the Natural History Museum and the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford; science versus Harry Potter

  • ★★★ Hank says the two must-dos of his UK trip blew his mind: the Natural History Museum, where he and Katherine got up early to be first in line, and the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford. — 00:00:32 · Katherine Green, United Kingdom
  • ★★ Hank says science versus Harry Potter is 'my brain': an easy choice for most people, but not for him, so he sorts it out with superlatives. (playful) — 00:00:42 · Harry Potter > «Science versus Harry Potter. That's my brain.»

00:00:54 — Superlatives: saddest, creepiest, most inspirational, best architecture, Rowling versus Darwin

  • ★★ Saddest: Dumbledore's office and robes at the Studio Tour made Hank sad, but less than the last skeleton of a dodo, a whole species gone. — 00:01:01
  • ★ Creepiest: the 'living, breathing' Voldemort doll at the Studio Tour, which Hank calls maybe the worst thing he has seen. (playful) (hedged) — 00:01:10
  • ★★★ Most inspirational: the detail of the Harry Potter universe inspires Hank, but less than Darwin's pigeons, Wallace's collections and Linnaeus's pressings, which connect him to the history of life. — 00:01:31 · Harry Potter
  • ★★ Best architecture: Hank praises the Natural History Museum's German Romanesque building for evoking the sacredness of nature, but says Hogwarts wins. — 00:01:47
  • ★★ Rowling versus Darwin: both slaved for decades over masterful works, but Hank puts Darwin on top for his care, independence and fortitude. — 00:02:08

00:02:23 — Best community: science and Harry Potter as collaborative works

  • ★★ Hank says all science is collaborative and always part of a community, Darwin included. — 00:02:24
  • ★★ Hank says Harry Potter is also collaborative, through screenwriters, actors and its fan community, including unintended collaborators like himself and Harry and the Potters; more so than most art, so a tie. (hedged) — 00:02:45 · Harry Potter

00:02:57 — A tie: science's drive toward truth and Harry Potter's drive toward goodness as his guiding principles; Tower Hill bench; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank cannot choose: it is like choosing between his parents, since science and Harry Potter did not just shape how he understands the world but built him as a person. — 00:03:03 · Harry Potter
  • ★★★ Hank loves science's drive toward objective truth and Harry Potter's unironic drive toward objective goodness: loyalty, love, building something greater; both guide his life, so he won't pick. — 00:03:13 · Harry Potter

Humor (significant)

  • Picking the creepiest thing, Hank names the living, breathing Voldemort doll at the Studio Tour — 00:01:10 > «It's maybe the worst thing I've seen in my entire life.»
  • After praising the museum's German Romanesque architecture at length, Hank gives the round to the fictional castle anyway — 00:02:06 > «Hogwarts wins because Hogwarts!»
  • Hank ranks Darwin above Rowling for care, independence and fortitude, then adds one more reason — 00:02:18 > «Also, he had severe digestive problems, which I can sympathize with.»

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