C.S. Lewis: Absurdity, Slaves,Puppets, and the Futureof Your Soul

The stars do not become Nature till we can weigh and measure them: the soul does not become Nature till we can psychoanalyze her. The wresting of powers from Nature is also the surrendering of things to Nature. As long as this process stops short of the final stage we may well hold that the gain outweighs the loss.

But as soon as we take the final step of reducing our own species to the level of mere Nature, the whole process is stultified, for this time the being who stood to gain and the being who has been sacrificed are one and the same. This is one of the many instances where to carry a principle to what seems its logical conclusion produces absurdity.

It is like the famous Irishman who found that a certain kind of stove reduced his fuel bill by half and thence concluded that two stoves of the same kind would enable him to warm his house with no fuel at all.

It is the magician’s bargain: give up our soul, get power in return. But once our souls, that is, our selves, have been given up, the power thus conferred will not belong to us. We shall in fact be the slaves and puppets of that to which we have given our souls.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in The Abolition of Man (London: Oxford University Press, 1943) 49-50.

Click here to download this classic work compiled after C.S. Lewis delivered a series of three lectures on 24-26 February 1943 at the University of Durham.

Today’s marks a fitting seventh of seven meditations from The Abolition of Man. This last one comes from his third lecture entitled, “The Abolition of Man.”

With the theme of conquest, the picture of the Triumphal Arch that I took today in Astana, Kazakhstan seemed fitting.

The logical conclusion of reducing everything to nature or the physical realm is absurdity. The Conditioners have programmed us to serve comfort rather than Christ.

And as a slave and a puppet, though you may not have purchased two stoves like the Irishman, you give up your soul in the process. To this point, I have good news.

It’s indescribably good. There’s still time! If you are reading this, you are above ground. Humble yourself before God in repentance and prayer.

I won’t write the prayer for you. You need to come up with it yourself. This week, I too have felt convicted on many counts - areas where the Conditioners have adversely influenced my thinking.

Take five minutes to reflect on what you have learned this week in reflection, repentance, and prayer.

Our role is to propagate truth, not consume propaganda. We must ‘irrigate deserts’ so we don’t produce ‘men without chests’. That applies to women too. We must ignore our instincts. And watch out for the work of the Conditioners, remembering that they hate us because Christ told us they would. And rather than give away our soul, we can choose to keep it by following the way marked out by Christ.

If you are saying, “Enough!” Well, ironically, that’s the book we will explore this next week by my fellow author and friend, Scott Rodin.

It was just released this month. I am reading it anew with you.

It’s called Enough: Finding Deep Contentment in an Anxious and Fearful World. Like the right medicine, it’s what this doctor is ordering for readers worldwide.