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>As best I can tell after a lengthy debate with other HN users, in Lewis's eyes it is devil-worship even to imagine a world bereft of absolute good and evil. I

>As best I can tell after a lengthy debate with other HN users, in Lewis's eyes it is devil-worship even to imagine a world bereft of absolute good and evil. Imagine the consequences of such a world and you get his point. Our world might be objectively "bereft of absolute good and evil", but it's only tolerable to live because most people believe and act counter to that. And the evil of bad actors "sure of some badly defined absolute good", like the Nazis or the Inquisition, would be nothing compared to the evil of a world where everybody really believed and acted as if good and evil have no absolute and is up to them.

n4r9 3y ago
> Imagine the consequences of such a world and you get his point I don't get his point! Firstly, dreaming up a world system is a far cry from worshiping it. Secondly, I feel like striving towards the true nature of things is one of the few principles that really gives meaning to existence. Rejecting this in favour of superficial contentedness feels nihilistic in a Brave New World kinda way. > the evil of a world where everybody really believed and acted as if good and evil have no absolute What makes you so sure? In my experience it is societal norms and inbuilt consciences that tend to encourage good behaviour. I don't see why this would change as we evolve away from superstition as a species. For example, some sci fi authors such as Iain M Banks have imagined credible advanced societies where there is no supernatural thinking; and yet individual morality plus social pressures absolutely still work to promote social harmony.