Monday, May 05, 2014
Dare I Disagree?
Justin Taylor quotes C.S. Lewis' "Abolition of Man":
The division here is not a wrong one, science does in deed seek to shape that which is around us to suit us. There is nothing essentially unchristian about that when taken at face value - God did in fact give us dominion. But it should be practiced by men who have already "conformed their soul to reality." Science is not separate from the old wisdom, it is simply subject to it.
We should not create enemy where there is none. Science is not enemy - it may be rebel, but it is not enemy. Are we not all rebels in some sense? One of the biggest problems the church faces today is that we see enemies where there are only fellow rebels.
We may fight with rebels, but we do not seek to conquer them, we seek to bring them home. The distinction may not make much difference in the conduct of the fight, but it makes a huge difference in the conduct of the peace.
If Christ is already victorious as we are told, should we not worry more about the conduct of the peace?
enemies science
There is something which unites magic and applied science [=technology] while separating both from the “wisdom” of earlier ages.I hesitate ever to argue with Lewis, but Lewis out of context is a different story.
For the wise men of old the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue.
For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men; the solution is a technique.
The division here is not a wrong one, science does in deed seek to shape that which is around us to suit us. There is nothing essentially unchristian about that when taken at face value - God did in fact give us dominion. But it should be practiced by men who have already "conformed their soul to reality." Science is not separate from the old wisdom, it is simply subject to it.
We should not create enemy where there is none. Science is not enemy - it may be rebel, but it is not enemy. Are we not all rebels in some sense? One of the biggest problems the church faces today is that we see enemies where there are only fellow rebels.
We may fight with rebels, but we do not seek to conquer them, we seek to bring them home. The distinction may not make much difference in the conduct of the fight, but it makes a huge difference in the conduct of the peace.
If Christ is already victorious as we are told, should we not worry more about the conduct of the peace?
enemies science
