Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality 17a – Locating the Hypothesis, part 1
Aug 4, 2011
Harry proposes an experimental test and reflects on time travel. He devises a plan to retrieve Neville's remember-all and questions Professor Quirrell. A conversation takes place about chaos, doom, and a negotiation.
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Time Travel Turns Search Into Verification
- Harry realizes a time-turner can solve any problem that's easy to verify but hard to find by creating stable causal loops.
- The loop enforces only answers that pass verification, turning search problems into trivial checks.
The Folded Paper That Warned Him
- Harry tests his time-loop trick by attempting to factor 181,429 with a folded paper sent to his past self.
- The future paper returns the warning "do not mess with time," and Harry abandons further temporal experiments.
Tradition Picks Weird Designs
- Harry questions cultural choices like the broomstick's design and wonders why suboptimal traditions persist.
- He recognizes that history and tradition can select bizarre, non-optimal solutions.