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Prophet of Postmodernism? CS LEWIS: EXPONENT OF TRADITION AND PROPHET OF POSTMODERNISM? by CHARLES ANTHONY EDWARD MOODIE submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY in the subject CHURCH HISTORY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: PROFESSOR G LC FRANK NOVEMBER 2000 ************************** ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To Father Chrysostom Frank, formerly Professor and Head of the Department of Church History at the University of South Africa, for the challenge, both academic and personal, which he set me in the studies which led to this doctoral thesis; for the essential guidance which he provided; and for making possible the upgrading of my MTh studies to a doctorate. To my wife Margaret, for her love and support and for encouraging me to undertake, not only this academic venture, but all my previous part-time studies - at significant personal cost to herself. To my parents, whose commitment and love lie at the root of all that I have managed to achieve. To Dr Andre le Roux, formerly rector of Edgewood College of Education, for the challenge to academic improvement which he always held out to those who worked with him, and for the continuing interest and encouragement which he offered in the development of this study in particular. CS LEWIS: EXPONENT OF TRADITION AND PROPHET OF POSTMODERNISM? SUMMARY The 'postmodern challenge' is increasingly felt in the 'end of modernity' to which Gianni Vattimo refers. The West and the world has hitherto been dominated by what Andrew Gamble characterises as the Modem or Western Ideology. But the validity of that worldview and its associated ways of thinking, going back to the 'Enlightenment' and beyond, has come to be radically questioned. It is within this context that the work and thought of CS Lewis is examined. Although Lewis is generally recognised, and regarded himself, as conservative and even reactionary, there is a paradoxical quality to his conservatism, the elements of which coexist with features which might be regarded as liberal and as radically socialist respectively. Sinilarly, his commitment to the religious and cultural tradition of Western Europe co-exists with a vehement anticolonialism. A paradoxical association of postmodemism with 'premodemity' has been widely noted in Buddhism and, by Derrida, in Eastern Christian theology. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that a paradoxical postmodemism is evident in the thought of Lewis. One source suggested for this is his interest in Eastern Christianity. Another is identified as the influence on Lewis of the opposition of Romanticism to 'Enlightenment' modernity. But Lewis's own engagement with modernity is also shown to be significant. Two broad trends in postmodemism are discussed. The affinities ofLewis's thought with the nihilistic tradition of postmodemism, going back to Nietzsche, is traced with regard to issues such as rationalism, science, the autonomy of the subject, and authorship. But the ambivalent relationship of Lewis to spiritually-oriented, affirmative postmodemism, and particularly Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy, is also analysed. The crucial role ofScholasticism in the development of Wes tern thought is investigated in a comparison of Steiner's views with the Christian position of Lewis. It is concluded that there are grounds to regard Lewis as. 'prophet of postmodemism', and he is compared with Nietzsche and Pope John-Paul II in this regard. KEY TERMS Anthroposophy; Christian tradition; Eastern Christianity; Enlightenment; Modernity; Myth; Mysticism;. Negative Theology; Personalism; Postmodernism; Romanticism; Rationalism; Scholasticism; Theism. PREFACE In its original form this thesis was submitted to the University of South Africa as a dissertation of limited scope for the degree of Master of Theology by coursework. In evaluating the work of CS Lewis the focus of the dissertation was primarily on the postmodernism which stands in the nihilistic tradition of Friedrich Nietzsche, and which is the subject of most academic discourse on postmodernism. It was, therefore, affinities or divergences from features generally identified with this tradition of postmodernism which formed the substance of the analysis of Lewis's work in the research for the original dissertation. However, in reviewing postmodernism in the dissertation, it was recognised that there are other understandings of what constitutes the postmodern, and in this regard some attention was given to spiritually-oriented movements of the late twentieth century. Although this was not followed up in the research reported in the subsequent chapters, in the original conclusion of the dissertation particular reference was made to current, postmodern Goddess spirituality, as an issue on which some relevant commentary was to be found in the work of CS Lewis, and which would provide a topic worthy of consideration in further research on Lewis and postmodernism. Thus, when the opportunity was offered to upgrade the dissertation for resubmission as a doctoral thesis, it was this topic which most immediately came to mind in considering the elaboration ofthe original work. Initially this elaboration was conceived in terms of supplementing existing chapters with extra sections and possibly adding a new chapter specifically on the 'Goddess' issue. It became clear, however, that too much was involved for it to be fitted into this format and that, while the topic of Goddess spirituality was very relevant, it could not be discussed except in the context of a wider phenomenon of'affirmative postmodernism'. And, while this 'affirmative postmodernism' is in large measure a social, as well as a religious phenomenon, it was clear that there are attempts to provide a theoretical basis to it as well. The most sophisticated of these, perhaps, is found in Richard Tarnas's Passion ofthe Western Mind, but what was recognised as being important, for the purposes of this thesis, was the significant use which Tamas made of the work of Rudolf Steiner. Steiner, and his system of Anthroposophy, provided a special point of contact between affirmative postmodernism and the thought of CS Lewis through Lewis's close friendships with leading Anthroposophists, and his consequent, though ambivalent, engagement with Steiner's thought. In the writing of this thesis, therefore, apart from some modifications to the first five, original chapters, and a reformulation ofthe concluding chapter, three further chapters have been added on affirmative postmodernism: a review of affirmative postmodern tendencies in general, an analysis ofLewis's thought in terms of aspects ofthis broad spectrum oftypes of postmodernism, and a discussion in which Steiner's Anthroposophy is used in attempting to throw light on the possible nature of a postmodern Christianity. Because it is essential to a full appreciation of the 'negative' postmodernism considered in the first five chapters, the original, brief reference to affirmative postmodernism, in Chapter Two, has been retained. In the course of Chapters Three, Four and Five, further comments are made on 'affirmative postmodernism' where this is necessary in order to draw attention to links between 'negative' and 'affirmative' postmodernisms, but the detailed review of 'affirmative postmodernism' is provided in Chapter Six. This then leads directly on to the chapters on the further analysis ofLewis's work, in terms of affirmative postmodernism, and the discussion of Steiner's thought in relation to Lewis's traditional Christian position. However, an additional chapter has also been included which takes up the affirmative element in the thought of Nietzsche, the original 'prophet of postmodernism', referred to in the initial review of postmodernism. This affirmative note in Nietzsche complements the nihilism ofhis attack on modern thought and although, in contrast to ~is nihilism, it receives little recognition in current affirmative postmodernism, it finds strong echoes in the thought of CS Lewis, particularly with regard to their common focus on joy. This reflection on joy leads on naturally to a consideration of its association with morality which, in different ways is found in both Nietzsche and Lewis. Rather than being presented as a substantive part of the research presented in this thesis, this discussion is offered as a pointer to something of interest in the context of the present research which may be worthy of further research in its own right. It is therefore grouped together, as a post script, with the concluding chapter in the overall structure of this thesis. The thesis has been organised into four parts so as to give order to the chapter structure which emerged as a result of the process described above: Part I: The commencing review chapter on the work and thought of CS Lewis Part II: The four chapters following this first chapter, as in the original dissertation Part III: The three additional chapters on 'affirmative postmodemism' Part IV: The concluding chapter and the comparison between Lewis and the affirmative Nietzsche. CONTENTS IN1'RODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 PART I: TIIEPARADOXICALCSLEWIS .................................................................... 10 1. CS LEWIS: HIS WORK AND THOUGHT ................................................................... 11 1. 1 CS Lewis: conservative religious phenomenon ............................................... 11 1.2 Reviewing the work of CS Lewis: conservatism versus modernism ..............
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