C.S. Lewis: Conditioners

But the man-molders of the new age will be armed with the powers of an omni-competent state and an irresistible scientific technique: we shall get at last a race of Conditioners who really can cut out all posterity in what shape they please.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in The Abolition of Man (London: Oxford University Press, 1943) 43.

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 the fifth of seven readings from The Abolition of Man. This one comes from his third lecture entitled, “The Abolition of Man.”

A few people with power shape the thinking and behavior of millions today. Rather than name them, imagine celebrities whose viral content comes to mind.

And people primarily consume content today in video form or and social channels. As content goes viral it shapes both the culture at large and individual behaviors.

Whether you admit it or not, you are not immune to all this. Your life is formed by the content you consume and your relationships are shaped by the content you share.

For example, I typed this on a plane where passengers seem to be ‘conditioned’ to think a good flight is eating and watching movies. I beg to differ.

After flying more than 2 million miles, I can testify that I have read or written numerous books and articles, including this meditation, in a cramped seat at 30,000 feet.

And while I type this with the apostle Paul and Lewis, you are likely being formed by content on Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and the list goes on.

I am not saying eating and watching movies are bad. Hang with me. Few choose to redeem time in better ways, such as those that nurture the inner man or woman.

This is precisely why I believe God whispered to me to add video and social channels to Generosity Monk. I did this out of obedience to God. And I can see now, it appears as a divine response to the work of the ‘Conditioners’.

Please help me spread good content.

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