C.S. Lewis – The Abolition of Man (PDF)

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C.S. Lewis – The Abolition of Man (PDF), 75 pages

Did you know C.S. Lewis predicted the modern obsession with “being nice” would destroy the soul?
In The Abolition of Man, Lewis argues that when a society stops believing in objective virtue, it doesn’t become tolerant… it becomes manipulable.
He calls the result “men without chests.”
People with appetites and intellects, but no courage, no honor, no trained moral instincts. They can calculate everything and defend nothing.
Lewis saw that once we reject inherited moral law, we don’t become free. We become raw material… easily shaped by propaganda, pleasure, and fear.
Modern man prides himself on compassion while quietly surrendering every standard that once gave compassion meaning.
Lewis’s insight is brutal: a civilization that educates clever cowards will eventually be ruled by tyrants or technicians.
Because when nothing is worth dying for, everything becomes negotiable… including human dignity.

Summary by AI

Published in 1943, The Abolition of Man is a philosophical work by C.S. Lewis that serves as a defense of objective value and natural law. Originally delivered as a series of three lectures at the University of Durham, it remains one of Lewis’s most influential non-fiction books.

Core Concept: The Tao
Definition: Lewis uses the Chinese term Tao to describe the universal doctrine of objective value—the belief that certain attitudes are truly right or wrong regardless of culture or era.
Universality: He argues that this “Traditional Morality” is found in all major civilizations, including Christian, Platonic, Aristotelian, Hindu, and Jewish traditions.
Indispensability: Lewis contends that you cannot “invent” a new morality; all modern ideologies are merely fragments of the Tao “wrenched from their context”.

Key Arguments
“Men Without Chests”: Lewis critiques modern education (using a textbook he calls “The Green Book”) for teaching students that all value judgments are merely subjective feelings. He argues that the “head” (intellect) must rule the “belly” (appetites) through the “chest” (trained sentiments). Without these trained emotions, people become “men without chests”—unable to act with virtue because they lack stable moral sentiment.
Power over Nature: The book warns that what we call “Man’s power over Nature” often turns out to be power exercised by some people (the “Conditioners”) over others, using Nature as an instrument.
The Final Stage: The “abolition of man” occurs when scientists and conditioners successfully treat human nature as a raw material to be reshaped according to their own subjective whims, effectively destroying humanity itself.

Legacy and Context
Connection to Fiction: Lewis explored these themes narratively in his 1945 science-fiction novel That Hideous Strength, which depicts a technocratic organization attempting to seize control of England.
Modern Relevance: As of 2026, the book is frequently cited in discussions regarding transhumanism, the ethical implications of genetic engineering, and the dangers of moral relativism in modern society.
Public Domain: Like his other works, it is scheduled to enter the public domain in the UK on January 1, 2034.