Precis on "The Abolition of Man"

C.S. Lewis, in his article entitled "Abolition of Man", discusses the present day manifestation and future progression of 'man's conquest of Nature'. Lewis first discusses the relationship between man and nature by proposing that it is a relationship based upon power. This power, however, is not exercised by every man over nature. Rather, some men possess this 'power' and do or don't allow other men to profit by it. Thus, Nature acts as the instrument through which some men exercise power over other men.

Lewis then introduces Time into his interpretation. He argues that generations exercise power over their successors by modifying the environment and architecting their descendants. Lewis states that once we have reached maximum power over the past, we will also have effectively, and drastically, reduced the power of subsequent generations.

"Abolition of Man" outlines the prominent and novel aspects of this future society. First, human power will have dramatically increased. Second, we wil begin to see a form of "conditioning" as "the Conditioners" pick and choose the motives and values that will be possessed by their descendants. Through this process, Lewis argues that "Man's final conquest has proved to be the abolition of Man." In other words, the process of conditioning renders mankind as artefacts, rather than men at all. Through "conditioning" we will have denied our descendants any remnant of humanity.

Lewis also debates the proposed nature of the conditioners. He argues that the conditioners will be motivated by pleasure, and that, by removing themselves from a structure of value judgment, they will only have the pleasure they experience to prefer any one phenomenon to any other. The only hope for future generations, then, rests upon the 'chance' of whether or not the conditioners are 'benevolent' or not. Here 'chance' means 'nature', in the sense that 'chance' will be determined by the 'natural' impulses experienced by the conditioners.

The article then turns to a discussion of nature's objects. Lewis argues that we deem objects and phenomenon 'nature' after we have conquered them. In this way, we take power from nature while at the same time "surrendering things to Nature". Because the conditioners' power will result in the giving up of mankind's souls to nature, we will become both "slaves", and conquerors, of nature. The basic gist of Lewis' argument, then, is that mankind's garnering of power through nature will culminate in our slavery through a abolition from, and degeneration of, humanity and individuality of values. In this way Lewis calls into question our assumptions regarding the merit of man's conquest of nature. He questions the societal value and repercussions of creating a dynamic between power, man, and nature.

I feel that Lewis is targeting the present day generation. At the end of his article, he discusses a new 'Natural Philosophy' that focuses upon a critical consciousness of the 'natural object'. In the interest of future generations, Lewis is asking present day readers to take the knowledge that he has offered and work to prevent the grim prescription for the future that he has offered.

An important term that Lewis works with in "The Abolition of Man" is Tao. Lewis defines Tao as "a norm to which the teachers themselves were subject and from which they claimed no liberty to depart". Throughout the piece, Lewis articulates a discussion centered upon the concept of Tao. Lewis argues that the future society will have all-together departed from any adherence to the traditional Tao. Rather than adhering to pre-defined teachings, the 'conditioners' will set out to create a set of values and judgments and implant, rather than transfer, them to their students.

Finally, Lewis incorporates a key use of figurative language into the text. In crafting his argument, Lewis introduces the paradox surrounding the concepts of abolition and slavery. Lewis writes that we are propelling mankind towards both of these ends. In garnering 'nature's power' we will have entered into a form of slavery that is defined by the abolition of man from traditional humanity and values. Thus, Lewis's vision for the future is marked by man's paradoxical experience of both slavery and abolition.

-Caitlin Capocci