He only said that if there were other races elsewhere, they would not be fallen, and its a measure of OUR fallenness that we can only imagine them as evil.
He wrote novels about creatures on other planets because he was exploring the idea of what an unfallen race would be like, and indeed it is very hard for us to imagine this! He believed in the depths of sin and wanted to show that we would be a danger to an unfallen race, not the other way around -- in order to confront us, imaginatively, with the depravity we often just deprecate as uninteresting or unimportant. We are *comfortable* in our sinfulness.
He wanted to display the *differences* in creatures apart from their *sinfulness* -- the idea that God creates a diversity of beings and the diversity is not dependent on sin. In other words, in our sanctified natures we would not be all the same and we would delight in that splendor. The differences radiate His glory.
In fiction, creative writers imagine all sorts of things. That doesn't mean they think those things really exist. Tolkien didn't think there were elves and dwarves either...
Some fiction writers, especially those who enjoy the sci-fi genre, propose various "as if" scenarios. Based on your comment, I understand that you categorize C.S. Lewis's novels from "The Space Trilogy" as fitting into this genre. Particularly relevant is your statement: "In fiction, creative writers imagine all sorts of things." As a fiction writer myself, I fully and without hesitation agree with this. In my article, I do not discuss "as if" scenarios, but rather, I attempt to open a difficult discussion about the status of Adam and Eve before the Fall. And it's not just about their status, but also about the status of the entire created universe. If the entire creation underwent a transformation as a result of original sin (which, in my opinion, is why Saint Paul says that “every creature groaneth and travaileth in pain, even till now” - Romans 8:20-22), then the existence of rational creatures who have not sinned in this "fallen" universe seems implausible. Thank you very much for your comment!
Oh yes, I agree with your analysis! It is indeed implausible and I don't know, a little irreverent maybe? to think there are other creatures who also occupy man's unique position in the hierarchy of being.
From my reading of Lewis, I believe he would also agree with you.
His writing is not so much "sci-fi" but in a genre of its own, where his imagination creates scenarios to bring out his theological ideas (yet without any creakiness -- they are above all works of the imagination, true art).
For instance, in Perelandra he is very much "working out" what an Adam and Eve would have thought about and done *if Eve had not fallen into that first temptation*. He is also bringing to light the difficulties our own fallen minds face in even contemplating what our world would be like had they not fallen. So often, we almost unconsciously think we are *perfected* by original sin, and he thought that a fatal flaw.
He's by no means saying "on the planet Venus there are actually -- or even could be -- unfallen creatures just like Adam and Eve."
I would have left a completely positive comment but for your subtitle! An amusing (I hope to you as well) commentary on my defensiveness about Lewis! Because otherwise I think you are exactly right!
C.S. Lewis' fiction writings are an extraordinary fruitful way to use the imagination in order to bring in the front of a large public crucial theological and philosophical themes. Actually, I consider this type of intellectual profile a specific note of all the members of "the Inklings" group: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield. For me they are the best professors regarding that fortunate conjunction between intellect and heart. What better proof can we find than the simple fact that we are discussing here the writings of one of them?
I appreciate your output very much, and consider it a valuable source of information regarding traditional Catholicism and classical metaphysics. Since one of my hobbies is translating interesting texts to Polish, I have translated a number of your articles. If you're interested in these translations, please feel free to contact me. My email address is pawel.lugiewicz@proton.me.
Lewis wasn't wrong!
He only said that if there were other races elsewhere, they would not be fallen, and its a measure of OUR fallenness that we can only imagine them as evil.
He wrote novels about creatures on other planets because he was exploring the idea of what an unfallen race would be like, and indeed it is very hard for us to imagine this! He believed in the depths of sin and wanted to show that we would be a danger to an unfallen race, not the other way around -- in order to confront us, imaginatively, with the depravity we often just deprecate as uninteresting or unimportant. We are *comfortable* in our sinfulness.
He wanted to display the *differences* in creatures apart from their *sinfulness* -- the idea that God creates a diversity of beings and the diversity is not dependent on sin. In other words, in our sanctified natures we would not be all the same and we would delight in that splendor. The differences radiate His glory.
In fiction, creative writers imagine all sorts of things. That doesn't mean they think those things really exist. Tolkien didn't think there were elves and dwarves either...
Some fiction writers, especially those who enjoy the sci-fi genre, propose various "as if" scenarios. Based on your comment, I understand that you categorize C.S. Lewis's novels from "The Space Trilogy" as fitting into this genre. Particularly relevant is your statement: "In fiction, creative writers imagine all sorts of things." As a fiction writer myself, I fully and without hesitation agree with this. In my article, I do not discuss "as if" scenarios, but rather, I attempt to open a difficult discussion about the status of Adam and Eve before the Fall. And it's not just about their status, but also about the status of the entire created universe. If the entire creation underwent a transformation as a result of original sin (which, in my opinion, is why Saint Paul says that “every creature groaneth and travaileth in pain, even till now” - Romans 8:20-22), then the existence of rational creatures who have not sinned in this "fallen" universe seems implausible. Thank you very much for your comment!
Oh yes, I agree with your analysis! It is indeed implausible and I don't know, a little irreverent maybe? to think there are other creatures who also occupy man's unique position in the hierarchy of being.
From my reading of Lewis, I believe he would also agree with you.
His writing is not so much "sci-fi" but in a genre of its own, where his imagination creates scenarios to bring out his theological ideas (yet without any creakiness -- they are above all works of the imagination, true art).
For instance, in Perelandra he is very much "working out" what an Adam and Eve would have thought about and done *if Eve had not fallen into that first temptation*. He is also bringing to light the difficulties our own fallen minds face in even contemplating what our world would be like had they not fallen. So often, we almost unconsciously think we are *perfected* by original sin, and he thought that a fatal flaw.
He's by no means saying "on the planet Venus there are actually -- or even could be -- unfallen creatures just like Adam and Eve."
I would have left a completely positive comment but for your subtitle! An amusing (I hope to you as well) commentary on my defensiveness about Lewis! Because otherwise I think you are exactly right!
C.S. Lewis' fiction writings are an extraordinary fruitful way to use the imagination in order to bring in the front of a large public crucial theological and philosophical themes. Actually, I consider this type of intellectual profile a specific note of all the members of "the Inklings" group: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield. For me they are the best professors regarding that fortunate conjunction between intellect and heart. What better proof can we find than the simple fact that we are discussing here the writings of one of them?
Greetings Mr. Kmita,
I appreciate your output very much, and consider it a valuable source of information regarding traditional Catholicism and classical metaphysics. Since one of my hobbies is translating interesting texts to Polish, I have translated a number of your articles. If you're interested in these translations, please feel free to contact me. My email address is pawel.lugiewicz@proton.me.
Best wishes,
Paweł Ługiewicz
Thank you, Dr. Paweł Ługiewicz!