HPMoR and the Limits of Rationality – Details, episodes & analysis

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HPMoR and the Limits of Rationality

Anthea

Arts

Frequency: 1 episode/18d. Total Eps: 9

One woman's quest to understand the Harry Potter fanfic that created the modern world.

Interactive transcripts by Regina: https://hpmoralor.sepionics.com/

Email: hpmoralorcast@proton.me

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Apple Podcasts

🇩🇪 Germany - books
02/08/2026
#91
🇩🇪 Germany - books
20/07/2026
#87

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https://hpmor.com/science/
4 shares
https://hpmor.com/chapter/6
4 shares
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/isSBwfgRY6zD6mycc/eliezer-s-unteachable-methods-of-sanity
3 shares

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeJXF55HXRI
2 shares
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYrPNvVhKLU
2 shares
https://youtu.be/gpjYtAB9i2w?t=3532&amp
2 shares

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Score global : 57%

Publication history

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Ep. 9: Reciprocity, pt. 3 - Moonlight

Season 1 · Episode 9

Saturday, August 1, 2026 • Duration 01:49:08

In the last part of chapter 7, Harry attempts to seduce Draco to the cause of Science via a moon landing picture. Unfortunately, that picture doesn't exist. The crew goes to the Sequences to learn how to actually change their minds.

CONTENT WARNING: this episode touches on eugenics and rape.

HPMoR Science. https://hpmor.com/science/
Phlogiston: https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rise-and-fall-phlogiston-theory-fire
Nathaniel Branden: https://archive.ph/J8cQD
Answer to Ayn Rand pt 1: https://www.barbarabranden.com/answer-nathaniel.html
Twelve Virtues: https://www.lesswrong.com/s/waF2Pomid7YHjfEDt/p/7ZqGiPHTpiDMwqMN2
“Religion’s Claim to be Non-Disprovable”: https://www.lesswrong.com/s/7gRSERQZbqTuLX5re/p/fAuWLS7RKWD2npBFR
“Leave a Line of Retreat”: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/3XgYbghWruBMrPTAL/leave-a-line-of-retreat
Belief in angels around 69%, AP-NORC, 2023: https://apnorc.org/projects/belief-in-angels-and-heaven-is-more-common-than-belief-in-the-devil-or-hell/
Report they’ve personally encountered a spirit, around 30%, Pew, 2023: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/12/07/spiritual-experiences/
US adults who know a trans person around 41%, HRC, 2026: https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/documents/Trans-Visibility-One-Pager.pdf
Scott Alexander and HBD: https://reflectivealtruism.com/2024/10/31/human-biodiversity-part-4-astral-codex-ten/
“Update Yourself Incrementally”: https://www.lesswrong.com/s/GSqFqc646rsRd2oyz/p/627DZcvme7nLDrbZu
CFAR handbook – I was looking at “Comfort Zone Expansion,” pg 121: https://www.rationality.org/files/CFAR_Handbook_2021-01.pdf
“The Importance of Saying ‘Oops’”: https://www.lesswrong.com/s/5bZZZJ5psXrrD5BGb/p/wCqfCLs8z5Qw4GbKS
“What Makes This Song Stink: Try That In A Small Town”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeJXF55HXRI
Sociopathy and risk taking: https://youtu.be/gpjYtAB9i2w?t=3532&si=G9RTlYH6ieqJ4bTx
ASPD vs Psychopathy: https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychopathy-vs-sociopathy.html
Draco is tasked with assassinating Dumbledore because his father failed Voldemort: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Plot_to_assassinate_Albus_Dumbledore

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Ep. 5: How I Learned to Start Worrying ...

Season 1 · Episode 5

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 • Duration 01:35:33

In the first part of chapter 6, Harry enlightens McGonagall about the planning fallacy via an incredibly maladaptive coping mechanism. Elisa, Jake, and Anthea are forced to question the limits of authorial intent and why there are so many alleys in Diagon Alley.

Content warnings: we touch on Alzheimer's; medically assisted suicide, cryonics, and other end of life considerations; suicide; and mortality/death from about 0:50:00 to 1:05:45.

Citations and further reading, part 1

HPMoR, Chapter 6. Eliezer Yudkowsky. https://hpmor.com/chapter/6
“Unpublished data from Stanley Milgram’s experiments cast doubt on his claims about obedience,” Eric W. Dolan. PsyPost, 17 Nov 2019. https://www.psypost.org/unpublished-data-from-stanley-milgrams-experiments-casts-doubts-on-his-claims-about-obedience/
“Deception and Illusion in Milgram's accounts of the Obedience Experiments.” Gina Perry. Theoretical & Applied Ethics, January 2013. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317914282_Deception_and_Illusion_in_Milgram's_accounts_of_the_Obedience_Experiments
“Credibility and Incredulity in Milgram’s Obedience Experiments: A Reanalysis of an Unpublished Test,” Gina Perry, Augustine Brannigan, Richard A. Wanner, & Henderikus Stam. Social Psychology Quarterly, March 2020. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0190272519861952
“Replicating Milgram: Would People Still Obey Today?” Jerry M. Burger. American Psychologist, January 2009. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-64-1-1.pdf
“Obedience to authority with an authentic victim,” Charles L. Sheridan & Richard G. King, Jr. Proceedings of the 80th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, 1972.

Ep. 4: The EA Stands For Ethical Arbitrage

Season 1 · Episode 4

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • Duration 02:22:39

In chapters 4 and 5, Harry becomes fabulously wealthy and meets Draco Malfoy. Anthea, Elisa, and Jake are joined by Ernie to discuss effective altruism, the fundamental attribution error, and being built different.

Citations and further reading:

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, chapter 4: https://hpmor.com/chapter/4
HPMoR, chapter 5: https://hpmor.com/chapter/5
"Eliezer's Unteachable Methods of Sanity," Eliezer Yudkowsky. LessWrong, 6 Dec 2025. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/isSBwfgRY6zD6mycc/eliezer-s-unteachable-methods-of-sanity
"ELI5: What is arbitrage and how do arbitrageurs make money?" r/explainlikeimfive, 27 Nov 2012. https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/13wekw/comment/c77s5go/
"Effective Altruism." Lesswrong, 2 May 2024. https://www.lesswrong.com/w/effective-altruism
"Purchase Fuzzies and Utilons Separately," EY. LessWrong, 1 Apr 2009. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/3p3CYauiX8oLjmwRF/purchase-fuzzies-and-utilons-separately
"Can one person make a difference? What the evidence says." Benjamin Todd. 80,000 Hours, accessed 22 Apr 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20260219151243/https://80000hours.org/career-guide/can-one-person-make-a-difference/
"Sam Bankman-Fried on Arbitrage and Altruism (Ep. 145)," Conversations With Tyler. 9 Mar 2022. https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/sam-bankman-fried/
"An excellent collection of Fermi problems for your class," Kevin Cummins. Innovative Teaching Ideas, 14 Aug 2023. https://innovativeteachingideas.com/blog/an-excellent-collection-of-fermi-problems-for-your-class/
"Fundamental Attribution Error." Wikipedia, accessed 22 Apr 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20260401065702/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error
"Fundamental Attribution Error in Psychology," Saul McLeod. SimplyPsychology.com, accessed 22 Apr 2026. https://www.simplypsychology.org/fundamental-attribution.html
"The attribution of attitudes," Jones and Harris. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, January 1967. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0022103167900340?via%3Dihub
"The "Fundamental Attribution Error" is rational in an uncertain world," Walker, Smith, and Vul. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 2015. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/48d9b5qb#main

Ep. 3: Stand By Me

Season 1 · Episode 3

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 • Duration 01:28:35

In chapter 3, Harry learns about Death Eaters, and the hosts rescue jokes from a burning podcast.

CONTENT WARNING: discussion of real life violence and sexual violence from 40:15-51:46. Continuing discussion of graphic fictional violence from 51:46 onward.

Citations and further reading:

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, chapter 3: https://hpmor.com/chapter/3
“The Cassandra Claire Plagiarism Debacle – Part XII,” Avocado/white_serpent. Fandom Wank, 6 August 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20130702155034/http://www.journalfen.net/community/bad_penny/10481.html
STRANGE ÆONS. https://www.youtube.com/@STRANGEONS/search?query=harry%20potter
.”Kitty Genovese.” History.com, 27 February 2025. https://www.history.com/articles/kitty-genovese
“37 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police; Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector,” Martin Gansberg. The New York Times, 27 March 1964. https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/27/archives/37-who-saw-murder-didnt-call-the-police-apathy-at-stabbing-of.html
“Winston Moseley, Who Killed Kitty Genovese, Dies in Prison at 81,” Robert D. McFadden. The New York Times, 4 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180909012517/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/nyregion/winston-moseley-81-killer-of-kitty-genovese-dies-in-prison.html
“A Call for Help,” Nicholas Lemann. The New Yorker, 2 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20250607020600/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/10/a-call-for-help?currentPage=all

Ep. 2: Wingardium Leviscrewyou

Season 1 · Episode 2

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 • Duration 01:24:12

In chapter 2, a woman turns into a cat. Anthea and Regina discuss the pros and cons of reasoning from first principles, the collision of the profound and the mundane, and a cool Bavarian.

Citations and further reading

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, chapter 2: https://hpmor.com/chapter/2
HPMoR and Science: https://hpmor.com/science/
“Rationality Quotes 1,” Eliezer Yudkowsky. LessWrong. 15 January 2008. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/LiDk2XMBFmRiju4x3/rationality-quotes-1
“Interstitial Comments on Dawkins,” Mencius Moldbug. Unqualified Reservations.11 October 2007. https://www.unqualified-reservations.org/2007/10/interstitial-comments-on-dawkins/
“The Anti-Reactionary FAQ,” Scott Alexander. Slate Star Codex. 20 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131126130345/http://slatestarcodex.com/2013/10/20/the-anti-reactionary-faq
“Geeks for Monarchy: The Rise of the Neoreactionaries,” Klint Finley. TechCrunch, 22 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131124080402/https://techcrunch.com/2013/11/22/geeks-for-monarchy/
“Mr. Jones Is Rather Concerned,” Mencius Moldbut. Unqualified Reservation. 28 November 2013. https://www.unqualified-reservations.org/2013/11/mr-jones-is-rather-concerned/
“Symmetry for Dummies: Noether’s Theorem,” Will Sweatman. Hackaday.com. 14 June 2016. https://hackaday.com/2016/06/14/symmetry-for-dummies-noethers-theorem/

Ep. 1: A Podcast of Very Low Probability

Season 1 · Episode 1

Tuesday, March 10, 2026 • Duration 01:41:43

Anthea introduces Jake and Elisa to the world of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky, and HPMoR. A surprising level of empathy for Petunia Evans emerges.

Citations and further reading

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, chapter 1: https://hpmor.com/chapter/1
Neoreaction a Basilisk, Elizabeth Sandifer: https://bookshop.org/p/books/neoreaction-a-basilisk-essays-on-and-around-the-alt-right/850f22fb82ae27c6
The Zizians series, Behind the Bastards. 12-21 March 2025.
Curtis Yarvin, Behind the Bastards. 17-19 September 2024.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYrPNvVhKLU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpEg4LS3CT0
Peter Thiel and Yudkowsky’s history is discussed in “No Death, No Taxes,” George Packer. The New Yorker, 20 November 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20140801231953/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/11/28/no-death-no-taxes
Curtis Yarvin, Neoreaction, Yudkowsky, and Roko’s Basilisk are discussed in “The Strange and Terrifying Ideas of Neoreactionaries,” Nathan J. Robinson and Elizabeth Sandifer. Current Affairs, 30 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20251111012737/https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2022/05/the-strange-and-terrifying-ideas-of-neoreactionaries

HPMoR and the Limits of Rationality – Details, episodes & analysis

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HPMoR and the Limits of Rationality – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other99+

Youtube13

New York Times4

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

Youtube13

New York Times4