Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Poison of Subjectivism

The Poison of Subjectivism is an essay by C.S. Lewis that actually correlates with the first four chapters of Mere Christianity, which is also written by Lewis. Rereading and understanding again the definition of subjectivity is necessary for reading this article. The definition of subjectivity is this: "based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions." Lewis' main point in this article is that every person and group of people does have the same set of morals. Everyone knows what is good to do to your neighbor, and everyone knows what is bad to do to your neighbor. Lewis says that these moral laws have always been around and will never change: "The human mind has no more power of inventing a new value than of planting a new sun in the sky or a new primary colour in the spectrum."

It amazes me how logically and confidently Lewis is able to give the counterexamples to his argument, and then quickly show how they are unsound. He gives these counterexamples: that there are many different types of moralities, and that sticking to one moral code is turning into stagnation. He then shuts each one down quickly, each with the utmost respect, of course.

One of my favorite quotes in the essay is this: "God is not merely good, but goodness; goodness is not merely divine, but God." It really caught my attention and made me think about the fact that God is at the center of everything that is good. When we look at anything that was made good, we know who is the One behind all of it. He is bigger and better than we could ever imagine or understand. Lewis depicts this so well in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Aslan, the lion, is depicted as everything that is good in the world of Narnia. It is said of him, however, "He is not a tame lion." God is so very good, and although we will never be able to understand how (and sometimes why) he does the thing that he does, we can be confident in the fact of His full, complete goodness.

4 comments:

  1. I love how you talk about Aslan at the end here. It is the one character that Lewis, and the makers of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe absolutely nailed. They depict this character that children wish to climb on and sink their hands in his mane, but they also show his absolute justice when dealing with the witch. He is everything good, but everything just. It makes me want to watch that movie all over again!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree that it is amazing how well Lewis refutes other arguments in a respectful way. He does a great job of guiding you from his points to counterpoints, which always seem to somehow lead back to his points. I also really enjoyed your observations on God as the center of all goodness. We can definitely be confident in His goodness, grace, and love. What a great way to end!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aslan really is such a good example of that idea that God isn't merely good, but is goodness. Another part of Aslan's description was that he appeared bigger as the children grew. As are ability to understand grows the minuscule concept of God we are able to entertain grows with it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The way that Lewis can 'give the counterexamples to his argument, and then quickly show how they are unsound' is one of the reasons why CS Lewis is so great at what he does. He can literally speak to people through his work. I believe that is what made him such a threat to satan and his followers. great thoughts!

    ReplyDelete