How To Abolish Yourself

I apologize for the startling title, although I trust it will turn out to be appropriate. Actually, I nearly abolished myself just yesterday, mixing concrete. But I am using the phrase in a different sense.

Last week I redd The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis's brilliant refutation of extreme rationalism, moral relativism, and a host of other bad things. It's a tidy work that bravely takes on some not-so-tidy questions.

Comprised of three brief essays, this is a book that can be redd quickly. However, like many good things, it cannot necessarily be understood quickly. For myself, it may require a second and perhaps third re-reading to grasp the import of and interconnections within what Lewis is saying.

Throughout the book, Lewis examines the effect our philosophy of existence has on education. What are youngsters being taught? It takes deliberate effort to remain stubbornly centered on truth; to slip into error is frightfully easy, as history ably demonstrates.

Lewis deplores the naturalistic tendencies of modern society, and debunks the myth that "man has nature whacked." Yes, God in Genesis granted dominion over creation to man, but one need not look very far to see this dominion grossly abused. As Lewis points out, this abuse will, if carried to its natural end, result in the abolition of man.

This work is also an excellent confrontation of postmodernism, and an inspiring challenge to the coldly calculated society where "man lives by bread alone, and the ultimate source of bread is the baker's van."

Image courtesy of biblio.com