The Abolition Of Man Lewis Summary
The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis
TEXT RESPONSE
“I do not mean, of course, that he will make any conscious inference from what he reads to a general philosophical theory that all values are subjective and trivial. The very power of Gaius and Titius depends on the fact that they are dealing with a boy: a boy who thinks he is ‘doing’ his ‘English prep’ and has no notion that ethics, theology, and politics are all at stake. It is not a theory they put into his mind, but an assumption, which ten years hence, its origin forgotten and its presence unconscious, will condition him to take one side in a controversy which he has never recognized as a controversy at all.” (Lewis 5). Children do not have completely formed consciences, are easily persuaded …show more content…
From this point of view, what we call Man’s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument.” (Lewis 55). It is a reoccurring theme that the power of man over nature is really power over a fellow person. The author refrains from saying whether contraception is right or wrong, yet by explaining the purpose of a contraceptive he implies that they are not good because it prevents someone from existing. This paragraph reminded me of a discussion I had with some friends concerning the morality of abortion and …show more content…
This will be changed. Values are now mere natural phenomena. Judgements of value are to be produced in the pupil as part of the conditioning. Whatever Tao there is will be the product, not the motive, of education”….. “it is the function of the Conditioners to control, not to obey them. (Lewis 61). C. S. Lewis alludes to his metaphor of the birds from the first chapter. He uses the word conditioning to stress the differences of the purposes of the old and new ways of education. He foretells that values will be produced by the Conditioners so that the Conditioned will do their will. C. S. Lewis mentioned at a later point in the novel, that the Conditioners, however, will not have values as motives and will seem to lose purpose in their lives.
“It is not that they are bad men. They are not men at all. Stepping outside the Tao, they have stepped into the void. Nor are their subjects necessarily unhappy men. They are not men at all: they are artefacts. Man’s final conquest has proved to be the abolition of Man.” (Lewis 64). In the first lecture, C. S. Lewis wrote that without values and emotions become men without chests. Once again he writes that outside the Tao, they are not men. This paragraph is significant because the reader finally understands the importance of the book’s
TEXT RESPONSE
“I do not mean, of course, that he will make any conscious inference from what he reads to a general philosophical theory that all values are subjective and trivial. The very power of Gaius and Titius depends on the fact that they are dealing with a boy: a boy who thinks he is ‘doing’ his ‘English prep’ and has no notion that ethics, theology, and politics are all at stake. It is not a theory they put into his mind, but an assumption, which ten years hence, its origin forgotten and its presence unconscious, will condition him to take one side in a controversy which he has never recognized as a controversy at all.” (Lewis 5). Children do not have completely formed consciences, are easily persuaded …show more content…
From this point of view, what we call Man’s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument.” (Lewis 55). It is a reoccurring theme that the power of man over nature is really power over a fellow person. The author refrains from saying whether contraception is right or wrong, yet by explaining the purpose of a contraceptive he implies that they are not good because it prevents someone from existing. This paragraph reminded me of a discussion I had with some friends concerning the morality of abortion and …show more content…
This will be changed. Values are now mere natural phenomena. Judgements of value are to be produced in the pupil as part of the conditioning. Whatever Tao there is will be the product, not the motive, of education”….. “it is the function of the Conditioners to control, not to obey them. (Lewis 61). C. S. Lewis alludes to his metaphor of the birds from the first chapter. He uses the word conditioning to stress the differences of the purposes of the old and new ways of education. He foretells that values will be produced by the Conditioners so that the Conditioned will do their will. C. S. Lewis mentioned at a later point in the novel, that the Conditioners, however, will not have values as motives and will seem to lose purpose in their lives.
“It is not that they are bad men. They are not men at all. Stepping outside the Tao, they have stepped into the void. Nor are their subjects necessarily unhappy men. They are not men at all: they are artefacts. Man’s final conquest has proved to be the abolition of Man.” (Lewis 64). In the first lecture, C. S. Lewis wrote that without values and emotions become men without chests. Once again he writes that outside the Tao, they are not men. This paragraph is significant because the reader finally understands the importance of the book’s