C.S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man

The Abolition of Man

C. S. Lewis

Written in 1943, this slim volume of three essays has earned for C. S. Lewis a title that he would not have chosen for himself—prophet. And, interestingly, it has made Lewis a significant player in the current bioethics debates.

The Abolition of Man is a philosophical assessment of the increasing prominence of subjectivism, the creation of “truth” from human experience. Lewis realized that, once objective truth is lost, there is no coherent basis for morality. Right and wrong become merely subjective preferences. Lewis objects! Objective values—right and wrong—do exist, whether called Natural Law, Traditional Morality, First Principles, or the Tao. For his purpose in writing to a broad audience, Lewis chose to use the term Tao. But, had he used his native Christian language, he would have talked about the natural law, the “law written on the heart” (Romans 2:14-15).

Subjectivism, in practice, often means that whoever has the power can make the rules. They can invent their own “morality,” since no objective “right and wrong” exists. Hence, the particular relevance of Lewis’ argument for contemporary bioethics with the debates about genetic screening of embryos, physician assisted suicide, cloning, genetic engineering, etc.

Many of the new biotechnologies provide tremendous possibilities for healing and doing good, but they may also provide the possibility for doing great evil. Lewis’s warning is more relevant today than ever: “…the power of Man to make himself what he pleases means…the power of some men to make other men what they please.” “Either we are rational spirit obligated for ever to obey the absolute values of the Tao, or else we are mere nature to be kneaded and cut into new shapes for the pleasures of masters who must…have no motive but their own ‘natural’ impulses. Only the Tao provides a common human law of action which can overarch rulers and ruled alike.”

This book may not be an easy read for those who do not normally read philosophical works. However, a close reading, and rereading, will be rewarded with insight into the subjectivism and moral relativism that are so prominent in contemporary bioethics.