Published On Nov 4, 2021
October 6, 2021
In this illuminating video, Dr. Gavin T. Colvert examines C.S. Lewis's masterly and prophetic book, "The Abolition of Man." Dr. Colvert is Head of School at Stella Maris Academy in San Francisco, CA. The school has been re-opened as a classical Catholic academy under the auspices of Star of the Sea Parish. Dr. Covert earned his Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Toronto.
"The Abolition of Man," he argues, is “a perfect treatise for our educational times, since Lewis talks about the abolition of nature being the fruit of moral, metaphysical, and epistemological skepticism. Lewis would not have been surprised in the least by contemporary struggles about gender, sexuality, truth, goodness, and beauty in our schools. Suddenly, we have rediscovered an interest in ‘social and emotional learning.’ The State of California is investing millions in this because the singular focus upon transferable career skills in the common core has proved unsatisfactory. The language and vocabulary of educational practice is not what Lewis would use, but his concern for 'Men without Chests' was light-years ahead of our recent discovery that children need resilience, moderation, and self-regulation in order to learn.”
Subtitled “Reflections on education with special reference to the teaching of English in the upper forms of schools,” "The Abolition of Man" sets out to persuade its audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. A defense of objective value and natural law as well as a warning about the consequences of doing away with them, "The Abolition of Man" defends “man’s power over nature” as something worth pursuing but criticizes the use of it to debunk values, the value of science itself being among them.
The book is based on a series of three evening lectures by C.S. Lewis first delivered at King’s College, Newcastle, part of the University of Durham, as the Riddell Memorial Lectures on February 24 to 26, 1943.
Both astonishing and prophetic, "The Abolition of Man" is one of the most debated of Lewis’s extraordinary works. "National Review" chose it as number seven on their “100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century.”
Stella Maris Academy’s educational philosophy:
https://www.stellamarissf.org/
This video program is hosted by Dr. Graham H. Walker, Executive Director at the Independent Institute:
http://www.independent.org/aboutus/pe...
READ THE ARTICLES:
“Back to Nature: Aquinas and Ethical Naturalism," by Gavin T. Colvert:
http://lyceumphilosophy.com/?q=node/77
"Which of C.S. Lewis’s Books Was His Favorite?", an interview with Michael Ward, author of "After Humanity: A Guide to C. S. Lewis’s 'The Abolition of Man'"
• Which of C.S. Lewis's Books Was His F...
"Why C.S. Lewis wrote 'The Abolition of Man'," by James A. Herrick ("Evolution News"):
https://evolutionnews.org/2020/08/why...
"C. S. Lewis on Mere Liberty and the Evils of Statism," by David J. Theroux
https://www.independent.org/publicati...
"K-12 Education: Policy Analysis and Reform: Recommended Readings on Foundational Issues," by Williamson M. Evers
https://www.independent.org/issues/ar...
"K-12 Education: Subject Matter, Curriculum, and Teaching Methods: Recommended Readings on Foundational Issues," by Williamson M. Evers
https://www.independent.org/issues/ar...
"American Higher Education’s Maladies and Remedies: An Annotated Reading List" by Williamson M. Evers
https://www.independent.org/issues/ar...
"Best Books on the Folly of Socialism: What Everyone Should Know About the Practical and Moral Failures of the Socialist Project," by Williamson M. Evers
https://www.independent.org/issues/ar...
BUY THE BOOKS:
"The Abolition of Man: Reflections on education with special reference to the teaching of English in the upper forms of schools," by C.S. Lewis
https://amzn.to/3bmW6fS
"After Humanity: A Guide to C. S. Lewis’s 'The Abolition of Man'," by Michael Ward
https://amzn.to/2ZAfjru
"In All Fairness: Equality, Liberty, and the Quest for Human Dignity." edited by Robert M. Whaples, Michael C. Munger and Christopher J. Coyne
https://www.independent.org/store/boo...
BECOME A MEMBER of the C. S. Lewis Society of California with a tax-deductible contribution and receive a FREE gift:
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C. S. LEWIS SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA Online:
FACEBOOK: / lewissociety
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WEBSITE: https://www.lewissociety.org/
