The Universal Truths of C.S. Lewis, with Michael Ward

“The human mind has no more power of inventing a new value than of imagining a new primary colour, or, indeed, of creating a new sun and a new sky for it to move in.”

• C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

 

In this episode we are joined by Michael Ward, author of the award-winning and best-selling Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis and After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man. We discuss Michael’s theory, laid out in Planet Narnia, that Lewis wrote the series to have each book centred around the influence of each of the seven heavenly bodies of medieval cosmology. We also discuss Lewis’ work the need for objective truth, especially in education, in The Abolition of Man, how he represented these ideas through fiction in his Space Trilogy, in particular the last book of the series That Hideous Strength.

 

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Michael Ward

Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast

Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com

Find out more about Michael at: https://michaelward.net/

Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

 

Works Mentioned

Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Michael Ward

The Narnia Code: C. S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens by Michael Ward

After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man by Michael Ward

The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis

The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis

The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Manalive! By G.K Chesterton

Sherlock (TV Series)

 

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment

Michael: A Man for all Seasons (1966)

      Any Human Heart by William Boyd

Rachel: Sabrina (1964)