Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality 13 – Asking The Wrong Questions
Jun 30, 2011
Harry Potter wakes up to find his dormitory empty and discovers mysterious notes and instructions for a game. He tries to understand the game, suspects Dumbledore's involvement, and gets hopelessly lost in Hogwarts. Harry has a conversation, apologizes to Neville, and reflects on a recent incident. He faces setbacks in the game, loses it, and starts suspecting Professor McGonigal.
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A Game Of Hidden Rules Governs Behavior
- Harry discovers a cryptic 'game' that assigns and deducts points for ambiguous actions.
- The controller monitors him invisibly and enforces arbitrary rules he must deduce.
Probing The Game With Small Experiments
- Harry tests the game's mechanics by summoning items and receives notes adjusting points.
- Small actions (wearing pajamas, choice of items) trigger immediate score updates and penalties.
Information Comes With A Price
- The controller charges points even for asking questions about the game.
- Information has an explicit cost inside this system, changing how Harry queries his environment.