The Abolition of Man

Having outlined the problematic aspects of modern philosophy in Chapter 1 and hinted at the opposing philosophy known as the Tao, Lewis now discusses in greater detail both the Tao and the philosophical forces opposing it. He stresses that, although he is a Christian, his book is not specifically an argument for Theism or Christianity. Rather, he is arguing for moral standards that extend across religions and cultures (49).

For Lewis, modern ideologies involve a fragmenting of the Tao, selecting this or that value and blowing it out of proportion so that all sense of perspective is lost (44). In other words, the Tao is an unavoidable moral force; those who reject it unconsciously retain parts of it. Thus, it is impossible to discard the Tao completely; one can, however, take parts of the Tao and overemphasize or distort them, which suggests the potential of rationalism to destroy reason, another significant theme of the book.

Modern educators may try to justify certain parts of the Tao on the basis of utility or instinct. Encouraging patriotic behavior, or displaying good behavior towards our parents is useful because it helps preserve the human species. But some parts of the Tao cannot be justified in this way; the courage and self-sacrifice of a soldier who willingly put himself in harm’s way and risks death is an example of intrinsically right behavior that does not satisfy instinct or utility. Thus, we cannot avoid the question of ultimate moral value.

One of Lewis’s key points in this chapter is that once we discard the concept of objective moral value, it is impossible to recommend any moral action as necessary. Instead, leaders must use power and force to ensure that people do certain things. This approach to leadership is the key to the dystopian aspect of Lewis’s book which he will develop in Chapter 3.

Lewis acknowledges that it is possible to make progress or advances in the Tao, but that this advancement must be done from within the philosophy, not from outside the philosophy. One has to accept the principles of the Tao before one can reform it. Because the Tao itself is the source of all values, provides the standard for how to reform or modify itself.

Toward the end of the chapter, Lewis considers the application of the Tao to scientific analysis. An anthropologist could argue that the Tao is not an absolute and that it is time- and culture-bound, having developed within certain primitive societies. Just as we have outgrown those ways of life, so have we outgrown the Tao. According to the social scientist, we have mastered many aspects of nature (e.g., methods of farming) so why not master the Tao as well and put it behind us forever? This question implies that man is able to construct a whole new system of values without any reference to the Tao, which is Lewis’s focus in the next chapter.