Civilization on the Brink? Modern Philosophy and the Abolition of Man
Daniel Wasserman-SolerLumen Christi Institute
Erin WalshUniversity of Chicago
Open to current undergraduate students at the University of Chicago. Registration is capped at 25. Students who register after capacity has been reached will be put on a waitlist. All registrants will be provided with a free copy of the text. This seminar and the Nicklin Fellows are cosponsored by the First Analysis Institute.
In 1944, CS Lewis looked upon civilization and was amazed by what he saw:
In a sort of ghastly simplicity, we remove the organ and demand the funcion. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.What was it about 20th century philosophy that horrified Lewis? Was the embrace of relativism a step towards greater social progress, or did it threaten the foundations of society? Did the conquest of nature result in “nature’s conquest over man”, a victory that made man less than human? Was there a source of universal values, such as natural law, that could prevent the abolition of man? How would one know if such a law existed with a seemingly infinite number of traditions and beliefs?
In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis, from an intentionally non-Christian perspective, delivered a scathing critique of moral relativism and the limitless advancements of science. This seminar will delve into Lewis's bold arguments and challenge participants to confront uncomfortable questions about the direction of our values, ethics, and what it means to be human.
Professor Erin Walsh, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, will join us for the conversation.
Schedule
6:00 PM Dinner | 6:15 PM Discussion | 7:30 PM Close
October 16th: “Men Without Chests” (27 pages)
October 30th: “The Way” (26 pages)
November 13th: “The Abolition of Man” (27 pages)
This event is part of Lumen Christi’s Fundamental Questions seminar, a quarterly reading group designed for undergraduate students at the University of Chicago. By fostering intellectually rigorous conversation around culturally resonant texts, we aim to allow students to experience the force of the deep existential concerns which animate our lives: “Where do my values come from? What is the good life? How can I become happy?” Our aim is not to answer such fundamental questions, but rather to equip students with the intellectual skills needed to recognize and articulate them for themselves. This group welcomes students from all religious and philosophical backgrounds because existential questions of being are of concern to all.
In addition, undergraduate students who participate in this seminar are eligible to become “Nicklin Fellows.” These fellows will have exclusive access to research and development grant funds to pursue their intellectual interests. Grants can be used to do things like the following:
- Organize a reading group
- Bring a speaker to campus
- Organize a movie night
- Develop and plan future fundamental questions seminars
- Write a paper for a journal
- And more!
Daniel Wasserman-Soler serves as the Executive Director of the Lumen Christi Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in history from the University of Chicago. He first became acquainted with Lumen Christi as an undergraduate.
As a Fulbright scholar in Spain, he conducted research on the Spanish Empire during the sixteenth-century. His book, Truth in Many Tongues: Religious Conversion and the Languages of the Early Spanish Empire (Penn State, 2020), explores how the Spanish Crown managed an empire of unprecedented linguistic diversity. He also has published articles in the Journal of Early Modern History, Church History, the Medieval History Journal, and History Compass. A native Spanish speaker, he grew up in Miami, where he attended Carmelite and Salesian schools. His wife and five children are members of St. Mary of the Angels Church in Chicago.
Before joining Lumen Christi, Danny was a history professor for ten years, first at Oberlin College and then at Alma College, where he was a tenured associate professor of history, department chair, and director of the first-year seminar program.
Erin Galgay Walsh is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School. She teaches courses on a variety of themes surrounding biblical literature, the history of Christianity, and the ongoing role of biblical interpretation within the modern world. Her research focuses on biblical interpretation, asceticism, and religious literature in the late antique and early medieval world. She has published articles and chapters within edited volumes as well as translations of late antique Christian poetry composed in classical Syriac. Currently, she is working on a book project examining the role of biblical women and female figures in the writings of Narsai of Nisibis, Jacob of Serugh, and Romanos Melodos.
