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The Abolition Of Man Lewis Analysis

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“The Abolition of Man” by C.S. Lewis, is largely based on an ideal called the Tao. He defines the Tao as the unchangeable way that the universe has always worked, and the way it will always keep working. This is the core of his argument: Lewis aims to convey the message that this natural state of the universe ties into our lives, values, emotions, and education. Moreover, that there is no amount of knowledge that will ever make man more powerful than the Tao. He expresses this point through three essays, all containing an important facet of the overall message. C.S. Lewis constructed his arguments in “Abolition of Man” on a foundation of logos and then executed them through the use of pathos in analogies - by doing so, he combines the argumentative …show more content…
Lewis describes success at this task unattainable, because the Tao is the foundation of all values, and the Tao, in the mind of the innovator, is rooted in emotion and not fact. However, the innovator cannot separate the Tao and human values - though he will attempt to do so. Lewis then gives the example of the innovator observing the idea of posterity: the innovator will be unable to explain posterity using a basis of only instinct and fact, because humans feel a duty to protect posterity, and this duty is in itself a part of the Tao. Lewis states, “‘Ideologies’ all consist of fragments of the Tao itself… owing to the Tao and to it alone such validity as they possess...If justice is a superstition, then so is my duty to my country or my race. If the pursuit of scientific knowledge is a real value, then so is conjugal fidelity” (Lewis, 44.) Lewis juxtaposes concrete/factual values (justice, scientific knowledge) with those that may be seen as more sentimental values. This analogy is extremely effective in swaying his reader’s emotions, especially in its historical context. During the time in which the book was published nationalism was very important, seeing as the second world was in full swing: by making an analogy using duty to one’s country, Lewis was able to fully reach his audience. In addition to that, he uses the analogy to allow the reader to equate these values on the same plane. The effect that this creates leads the reader to believe that the innovator’s task was all for naught. Instead of using pathos only to convince the reader of this, Lewis makes a structured argument based on specific values, reason and universality to prove that the innovator cannot reject the Tao without rejecting their own

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