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October 12, 2005
Private Morality
In The Abolition of Man, Lewis says modern education has certain tendencies. Primarily, it tries to teach that value statements are merely statements about the emotions, and emotions, because they are aroused by associations contrary to reason, are contemptible. Frost [a wicked character in That Hideous Strength], for example, argues that all motivations, actions, and feelings are biochemically induced. But Lewis argues that in every culture there is a "Tao"--natural law, traditional morality, a set of objective values--which sets up an objective basis for all values and judgments. In other words, the world has a built-in moral "yardstick."
The "debunking" of emotions through propagandistic techniques is therefore wrong. Lewis illustrates the inconsistency of those who claim to debunk these value statements. They try, for example, to derive a system of value from the platitudes of practical reason or by appealing to factual propositions, such as saying preservation of the species is an "instinct." Since these are not the basis for any system of values, says Lewis, they are doomed. Furthermore, if we do not accept the Tao, the moral order of the universe, we will move steadily toward our own constructs built on man's assumptions, with a resulting loss of objectivity; for without a belief in some external standard of value, man will be forced to turn to private constructs.
Sammons, Martha C. A Guide through C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. Westchester, Illinois: Cornerstone Books, 1980. Page 74.
Someone Else's $0.02 | By The Newest Worker | 10:23 PM
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