C. S. Lewis: Virus victim?
C. S. Lewis, the defender of the faith so beloved by all Christ-ininnies for lending elegance to their untenable beliefs, wrote:
“If there was a controlling power outside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe—no more than an architect of a house could actually be a wall or staircase or fireplace in that house. The only way in which we could expect it to show itself would be inside ourselves as an influence or command trying to get us to behave in a certain way. And that is just what we do find inside ourselves.”
First of all, if we’re likening God to an architect, why couldn’t he leave traces of himself inside his work? Architects often employ signature features and flourishes.
Blithely assuming, however, as he frequently does (Lewis is a master of the false syllogism), that we’re all agreed so far that God can’t be expected to reveal himself, Lewis then proceeds to tell us what we should expect—for him to show himself “inside ourselves.” So, in light of the architect analogy, should we expect the builder of our house to show himself inside us? And in any event, how does his conclusion follow from his premise? OK—God is outside the universe and can’t blatantly interfere. So, obviously, he has installed that little voice inside us that says, “You’re being watched, so behave yourself.”
Lewis is trying to account for the “Moral Law” that may or may not be universal (he says it is). But wouldn’t such a “law” be more plausibly explained as a biological imperative—a check on murderous impulses that grew out of natural selection—than as the finger of God perpetually tapping us on the shoulder?
Richard Dawkins says that the God delusion is a virus. If that’s the case, then Lewis was struck by a particularly virulent strain.
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