Modern Philosophy and the Abolition of Man
October 16, 2024
Gavin House
The seminar reviewed C. S. Lewis’s 1944 The Abolition of Man, his non-Christian critique of moral relativism and the “conquest of nature”, and considered its implications for universal values, ethics, and human dignity.
In 1944, C. S. Lewis looked upon civilization and expressed amazement at what he saw. He wrote:
“In a sort of ghastly simplicity, we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”
What was it about 20th-century philosophy that horrified Lewis? Was the embrace of relativism a step toward greater social progress, or did it threaten the foundations of society? Did the conquest of nature result in “nature’s conquest over man,” a victory that made humanity less than human? Was there a source of universal values, such as natural law, that could have prevented the abolition of man? How would one have known if such a law existed amid a seemingly infinite number of traditions and beliefs?
In The Abolition of Man, Lewis, writing from an intentionally non-Christian perspective, delivered a scathing critique of moral relativism and the boundless ambitions of science. The seminar delved into his arguments and challenged participants to confront difficult questions about the direction of values, ethics, and what it meant to be human.
Professor Erin Walsh, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, joined the conversation.