The Abolition of Man

C. S. Lewis

Jun 2009 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

C.S. Lewis’s Classic Work that Is Number 7 on National Review’s List of “100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century”

In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. Both astonishing and prophetic, The Abolition of Man is one of the most debated of Lewis’s extraordinary works. 

Ratings and reviews

I am as disappointed with the Kirkus editorial review as the review is with the book. This book is not really a book - it is three lectures. In those three lectures, Lewis sets forward the erroneous view of values so common today (as illustrated by excerpts from a textbook) and then sets about to show the natural end of that view - the "Abolition of Man." That he does this so powerfully in only three lectures is phenomenal. The images that one is left with from this book are enough to frame an apocalyptic novel around, or to given one nightmares regarding the future of our species.

Not my cup of tea and not Lewis's best work. His ideas are really good and he clearly foresaw an issue on the horizon that would only become much worse in time. However I found this book quite inaccessible. I'm glad it was short because it took me three read-throughs to fully grasp all of his message. Someone told me that this was actually a publishing of one of his lecture series, not an intentional written work by Lewis, which explains a lot.

Natures revenge, the abolition of man, the triumph of emotions, whims, and feelings over the proven, objective rules and ways of doing things that characterize our civilization. If you want to understand the counter-civilization yin opposed to civilizations yang, this book is a good place to start, particularly the last section. The last section, in particular, should probably be required reading for all citizens in western civilization. Along with the related Gods of the Copybook Headings.

About the author

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures.

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.