Why are Unforgivable Curses a big deal?

[Certified Lawyer Boy]

So Hogwarts Legacy made me realize how pointless it is to separate and outlaw the 3 Unforgivable Curses in the Wizarding World.

You can easily burn, freeze, annihilate, crush, slice and transform people with magic taught to 15 year old school children, but if you Avada Kedavra someone and he dies peacefully, it is worse than transforming him into an exploding barrel and throwing him into his friend.

By the same logic, It is worse to use Crucio on someone rather than burning them alive with magical flames.

Imperio is the only curse that truly is sinister on its own, considering all the horrific uses it can have (and there is no other spell that can do mind control to my knowledge), but consider Petrificus Totalus, another spell that 15 year old can learn that takes away control over your body while keeping you conscious, imagine all the nightmare scenarios that can arise from a spell like that.

The best argument against this that I could come up with was that Unforgivable Curses require intent and are designed for a dark purpose. So for example Avada Kedavra works only if you intend to kill a being, and it's only use is killing thus it is bad. But what about hunting animals with Avada Kedavra, or killing insects or euthanizing someone, it can have many uses outside of just straight up murder, like any other legal spell.

The argument of "intent and purpose" could be used to outlaw any spell really.

TLDR: In a world where it is so easy to kill, maim or take advantage of someone with magic, why even bother outlawing and stigmatizing some spells as Unforgivable Curses.

#LeagaliseCurses #TeachDarkArts

[wangwilliam401]

works great tho

[Ansgar Odinson]

It was a political/cultural decision. There was a time when dark magic was practiced even by "good" wizards. This is even shown and talked about in the game.

[Fraktal]

It would make more sense if the game had a morality meter, like dnd or RDR2.

[Fudge]

There's plenty of references to the Dark Arts being addictive in some way. I assumed that is the reason their use is discouraged / outlawed.

[pieceofyarn]

Umm I mean did you read the books? This whole world was a book written over 20 years ago. It never started out as an idea for a game.

[Certified Lawyer Boy]

Originally posted by Ansgar Odinson:

It was a political/cultural decision. There was a time when dark magic was practiced even by "good" wizards. This is even shown and talked about in the game.

Yes, my point is that this decision does not make sense, it's like banning sniper rifles from ever being used by anyone, but being ok with selling flamethrowers and bazookas to the general public and teaching children how to use them in school.

I do not see a logically justifiable cultural/political incentive here.

[Kevinn]

That Voldemort logic though

[Certified Lawyer Boy]

Originally posted by pieceofyarn:

Umm I mean did you read the books? This whole world was a book written over 20 years ago. It never started out as an idea for a game.

Well the legal spells are never used to kill/harm people in the books, but they can be, as demonstrated by the game which, incidentally, takes place in the same universe, so I don't see how reading the books is relevant in any way to the conversation.

[Fraktal]

Originally posted by USER#76561198098529945:

Originally posted by Ansgar Odinson:

It was a political/cultural decision. There was a time when dark magic was practiced even by "good" wizards. This is even shown and talked about in the game.

Yes, my point is that this decision does not make sense, it's like banning sniper rifles from ever being used by anyone, but being ok with selling flamethrowers and bazookas to the general public and teaching children how to use them in school.

I do not see a logically justifiable cultural/political incentive here.

Yea I don’t get it either.

The only way my brain can make this logic work is like:

A gun (like avada kadavra) is only used to kill. Whether it’s people or squirrels.

The other magics have other uses. Yes I can repulso someone off a cliff, but it has other uses.

I’m sitting here in my cubicle, I could probably turn 10 objects into murder weapons. See what I mean?

[Nomnom Victory]

The first important point is that laws don't get made because of some objective right or wrong, laws get made because the people in power want everyone else not to do something.

The next point is that the unforgivable curses carry a life sentence in Azkaban, why such a steep punishment for using a spell once? Is there no nuance or circumstance to where a shorter sentence is warranted? Yes the spells are said to have downsides like damaging the users soul but does that automatically mean you should spend the rest of your life in Azkaban? The simple answer is this, the sentence for using these spells is so harsh because the ministry wants anyone who uses them removed from society...

So why is the ministry so against these spells? What are they so concerned about them that they'd label them an 'Unforgivable' act and take away anyone who uses one at all? What are they afraid of?

Have you ever considered the implication of the fact that the unforgivable curses can't be blocked? It means that the ministry only holds power while they have the numbers. The moment the rest of the wizarding population turns on them they can be overthrown regardless of how skilled they are...

'Unforgivable' is nothing more than a label, attached to make people afraid of the spells afraid to even learn them in the first place. Think of it as essentially just a buzzword.

Lets also look at goblins being banned from using wands, were none of the goblins that you met kind enough or responsible enough to warrant some kind of special permission? Do you remember how sweet the goblin was who sent you to rescue his Mooncalf Biscuit? Goblins are banned from using wands entirely, simply because humans are the ones who hold power and the people in power don't want goblins to have a shred of it...

This is all just my personal theory of course, but based on everything that I have seen, including posting dementors as prison guards making every single prisoners mind decay instead of trying to rehabilitate them, the ministry of magic is NOT 'the good guys'.

[Captain Phasedent]

I think there are few reasons
1) these spells simply can't be blocked or countered. With other spells which can potentially kill you , you can block them , but avada kedavra you can't. (Harry Potter had plot armor)
2) Crucio is not only physical pain but mental torture. It is much worse than for eg burning a victim. It also messes with the victims souls. That's why you really have to mean it.
3) IIRC it is implied that if you die to avada kedavra your soul gets destroyed instead of your body so the soul won't go to heaven or hell.

Unlike the game where you can spam it , you really have to mean it to use the spell. Using Crucio you have to visualize your victim get tortured.

[Calv]

I expect it comes down to utility.

Yes, you can use all the spells you learn to kill people, but you can also use them for a hundred other things.

Whereas the unforgivable curses only have destructive uses.

You can see the modern equivalent in things like banning certain types of knives. You can walk around with a box of kitchen knives no problem, but a switch blade or butterfly knife will get you arrested.


There's also the argument that once you know a spell that will instantly kill someone with no possibility for them to survive, the odds of using that in a moment of panic/intense emotion increases. The game demonstrates this pretty well.

[PurpuluDragon]

To cast efficiently the curse of Crucio you have to truly hate, to cast efficiently Avada Kadavra, you must desire to kill.

With other spell, you can kill even without the desire to kill. Like killing despite your feeling. And for Imperio, it's only because it makes people puppet i guess.

[Freezer]

bc they dont have a counter spell, thats why

[Borland30]

Originally posted by Ansgar Odinson:

It was a political/cultural decision. There was a time when dark magic was practiced even by "good" wizards. This is even shown and talked about in the game.

Yeah, even one of the Keepers used AK at least once.