C. S. Lewis on the Modern Mindset

Tags: , , - Posted by Bryce on March 3rd, 2008

Here’s a quote from C. S. Lewis that seems to explain the contemporary view of reality. In opposition to those who say that belief in the supernatural (”magic”) has been supplanted by science, Lewis, an expert in the the medieval age, explains that belief in magic and science actually developed at the same time (towards the end of the Middle Ages).

There is something which unites magic and applied science while separating both from the “wisdom” of earlier ages. For the wise men of old the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men: the solution is a technique; and both, in the practice of this technique, are ready to do things hitherto regarded as disgusting and impious… — C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, quoted in Tim Keller, The Reason for God.

2 Responses to “C. S. Lewis on the Modern Mindset”

  1. Ken Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 10:49 am

    Great, now I have to read both The Reason for God and The Abolition of Man! Thanks a lot, as if I didn’t have enough to read right now. :)

  2. Bryce Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 11:26 am

    :) As I’ve been reading through The Reason for God (which really isn’t a difficult read, though it will stretch your brain) I have thought on several occasions that I need to buy a complete set of Lewis’ non-fiction works, and read through them all in a year.

    Now…let me see if I have a free year lying around here somewhere…

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