#4 - Space Trilogy 2 - That Hideous Strength/Abolition of Man

 In That Hideous Strength, N.I.C.E. seeks to destroy all that is organic. From plants to human weaknesses, everything organic should be eradicated. This is obviously a critique on modern society and the “cleansing” that seems to be the goal of various governments (both far right and far left). A similar critique is at the core of Lewis’s set of lectures, The Abolition of Man. Lewis is adamant that everything has an inherent value. Any modern attempt to strip things of value or attribute a different value to things is foolish. Truth is objective. With all things having value, each thing deserves a certain level of Love. N.I.C.E. ignores that fact. They push the narrative that everything organic has lesser value than what is man-made and “ideal.” This is a very dangerous ideology. Lewis is warning his readers of this danger, because a less exaggerated version of N.I.C.E.’s vision is pushed by modern people - even in education, which is Lewis’s focus in Abolition of Man. Beauty, Truth, and Goodness are objective according to Lewis, and he is doing his best (admirably) to protect them and their value. 


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