Friday, April 18, 2008

Abolition of Man (chapter 3)

(In response to the Abolition of Man chapter 3 by C.S. Lewis)

"The last men, far from being the heirs of power, will be of all men most subject to the dead hand of the great planners and conditioners and will themselves exercise least power upon the future." Lewis talks about the exertion of power of man over nature. He describes that man's power is continually diminishing because it can only influence what is left or what has already been influenced by some other man. Adam had the greatest influence among nature because everything he did was in a sense new or different. Now, because there are so many people for this power to be shared with, and because there is less to be discovered, man's power is less.

I can understand what Lewis is talking about within a educational and scientific realm. However, it because less clear when you reflect his views upon a Christian standpoint of redemption, reconciliation, and salvation. In this sense, I believe now more than ever it is imperative that we include all of the men, the task is too great for one single man. We must all take part in this and we all have a huge influence over what we do and the impact we have. The "Butterfly Affect" describes this a little bit.

I enjoyed this series of readings on the "Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis. It was interesting to see him discuss a topic of relevance from a non-Christian standpoint but still argue morally and ethically. This was a truly powerful and influential essay in terms of how to view things both logically and emotionally. In part, I believe this could be called a "non-Christian 'Meditations in a Tool Shed" because I believe they address some of the same issues.

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