C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity
I. The Law of Human Nature
A. When quarrelling with another person, we are appealing to some standard of behavior, which the other person should know about.
1. This means that we are actually agreeing as to what Right and Wrong mean
B. Laws of Nature and Human Nature
1. There are laws that man must obey; laws of gravitation and biological laws (Laws of Nature)
2. Man, however, can disobey the laws of decent behavior (Laws of Human Nature)
C. Right vs. Wrong
1. If we had no notion for what was right, then there would be no wrong
2. Civilizations throughout history have similar moral systems, and all of them put down selfishness
II. Some Objections
A. Impulses and Instincts
1. Is Moral Law and Law of Human Nature just an instinct
2. We have the herd instinct, which is what is accepted by society
3. We have an instinct that is for ourselves
4. These instincts work together to form a third that tells us what we ought to do
B. Judging Moral Law
1. We can’t just choose one impulse of our own human nature and live by it, because that would prove to be unsafe and eventually lead to contradictions and breaking agreements
2. We can’t just say that one cultures views of right behavior is better than the other, because each culture shows some proof of Moral Law
III. The Reality of the Law
A. The Human Race is fearful of the sort of behavior that they ought to practice, so they did not do so
B. Laws of Human Nature and Nature may only be a manner of speaking
1. Laws of Nature just tell us what something always does, not what it is supposed to do
2. Laws of Human Nature tell us how we should behave, not how we should behave
C. It is accepted to be unselfish in society, but why be unselfish and just try to benefit you ?
IV. What Lies Behind the Law
A. Different views of Human Nature about the universe
1. Religious View- A mindful being created us and the universe
2. Materialistic View- The universe happened randomly and formed us
B. What can we know?
1. We know man and we can study man
2. Something is directing the universe and appears to man as a law encouraging man to do right.
How C.S. Lewis’s Idea of The Law of Human Nature Applies To Me Here and Now
I think that C.S. Lewis' point about not judging other Moral Laws and Systems, because I dont think that I can ever really know what is truly wrong or right. After reading this article I realize that I can't always judge other people's opinions and just put them down. For so long I thought that a lot of the Liberals in our grade had the most outrageous viewpoints and automatically assumed that they were completely wrong and I was right. Then I realize, how can I judge between right and wrong, because what is wrong to one person will seem right to the other and viceversa. I know that I really can't truly know what is morally right and wrong, because I will never be able to know the truth. So, me putting down someone elses views and beliefs is completely wrong because I have no basis to say that what I believe is morally right or wrong.
I can also apply C.S. Lewis' ideas in my everyday life by seeing if I am actually obeying the Laws of Human Nature and making morally sound decisions. I know that it is hard to judge what behavior is right and wrong, and everyday I am faced with decisions and I have to decide which one is going to be morally right or wrong. For instance, I can decide to lie to my parents about where I go on friday nights and have a good time. This is a good time for me and the best decision from my point of view. With this decision, however, I am deceiving my mom and dad, and how can I make this decision when lying I am mad when people lie to me. I would also be very disturbed if I found out that my parents lie to me, so it makes the decision more and more difficult. I always seem to go with the decision where I end up lying to them and making a selfish decision, but then I remember how C.S. Lewis found it hard to find an answer to "Why be unselfish?"