"Covers all seven books in the series"--Cover

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Harry Potter and the enchantment of philosophy -- The soul in Harry Potter / Scott Sehon -- Sirius Black: man or dog? / Eric Saidel -- Destiny in the wizarding world / Jeremy Pierce -- Choosing love: the redemption of Severus Snape / Catherine Jack Deavel and David Paul Deavel -- Love potion no. 9 3/4 / Gregory Bassham -- Harry Potter, radical feminism, and the power of love / Anne Collins Smith -- Patriotism, house loyalty, and the obligations of belonging / Andrew P. Mills -- Dumbledore's politics / Beth Admiraal and Regan Lance Reitsma -- Dumbledore, Plato, and the lust for power / David Lay Williams and Alan J. Kellner -- Is Dumbledore gay? Who's to say? / Tamar Szabó Gendler -- Choices vs. abilities: Dumbledore on self-understanding / Gregory Bassham -- The magic of personal transformation / S. Joel Garver -- Just in your head? J. K. Rowling on separating reality from illusion / John Granger with Gregory Bassham -- A pensieve for your thoughts? Harry Potter and the magic of memory / Amy Kind -- A Hogwarts education: the good, the bad, and the ugly / Gregory Bassham -- The real secret of the phoenix: moral regeneration through death / Charles Taliaferro -- Beyond Godric's Hollow: life after death and the search for meaning / Johnathan L. Walls and Jerry L. Walls -- Why Harry and Socrates decide to die: virtue and the common good / Michael W. Austin.