Dark science and techno-utopia: the conservative approach of C. S. Lewis

Abstract

The rise of scientific, illustrated and progressive late nineteenth century utopias triggered proposals with alternative meanings. Some of those were articulated through a conservative thought as well as a christian, transcendent and otherworldly metanarrative. C. S. Lewis, for example, provided his answer to the techno-utopia in his essay The Abolition of Man as well as in the novel That Hideous Strength —conclusion of the Cosmic Trilogy (or Ransom Trilogy). We will introduce his challenge through three different arguments: (1) contrary to the project of personality conditioning , education is a link of continuity with the past and of respect for tradition; (2) in the light of the methodological atheism of these dystopias elicited the metaphysical and transcendent lewisian foundation of the imperfection of the human condition; (3) He will reply to the arrogance of social and political engineering by reducing power to a technical criterion of instrumental knowledge with the modest language of politics.