A theory of nonsense (Lewis)
December 31st, 2007 | Published in Philosophy, Truth, Quotes | 1 Comment
A theory which explained everything else in the whole universe but which made it impossible to believe that our thinking was valid, would be utterly out of court. For that theory would itself have been reached by thinking, and if thinking is not valid that theory would, of course, be itself demolished. It would have destroyed its own credentials. It would be an argument which proved no argument was sound—a proof that there are no such thing as proofs—which is nonsense.
–C. S. Lewis, Miracles (1947, revised in 1960), p. 22.
January 1st, 2008 at 8:57 am (#)
I wonder, Josh, were you thinking of our Anthony Flew discussion when you posted this? I’d grant you’ve got a big name backing up your earlier position now. I have yet to see any scripture to back the position up, though. The big problem I have with Lewis (and I’ll grant that I seem to be practically alone among Christians here) is that he makes himself (man) the high judge of that “court” he talks about. What would it mean to live, instead, in God’s court?
Lewis’ above argument is philosophical gibberish, though, and it can be shown on the grounds of reason. The reality is that our thinking is sometimes valid and sometimes not and it depends on other things (e.g. prejudices as to what we want to think and believe, a sound underlying knowledge of the facts, our imperfect sensory abilities, our mental health, someone else trying to deceive us, etc.) Lewis’ argument would have been much more clear albeit much less impressive if he had said — and it doesn’t change the meaning at all — “A theory which…made it impossible to believe that our thinking was *ever* valid…” — because he goes on to say “if thinking is not valid that theory would, of course, be itself demolished.” The trouble is that in reality thinking is sometimes valid and sometimes not. Indeed we have the ability to reason, we just don’t have an inerrant ability to reason perfectly.