Tolkien and Lewis Technocracy & Totalitarianism

         Hi everyone! My name is Chloe Troy. I am from Boston Massachusetts and I am a first year student at Bucknell University.  

         In the novel “The Abolition of Man,” C.S. Lewis argues how the aged teaching methods used by the English are teaching students to think with rationale only and without their heart; ultimately this results in students blindly following the philosophies of their teachers because they are stuck in a controlling bubble without even realizing.  

       When initially reading The Abolition of Man, I was primarily focused on the way C.S. Lewis critiqued the ideas of Gaius and Titus thoroughly. But, as I continued to read the chapters I realized Lewis’s criticism was a reflection of his true feelings towards the English teaching methods in the upper levels. Lewis describes how influential and almost brainwashed the English teaching methods are to these students. Lewis feels strongly that there are more adequate techniques to better student’s mindset in the classroom, which then transfers to their outlook on life. The immense impact the people around us have, and the information they feed us is a big factor on one’s perspective and opinions. Just like Gauis and Lewis who believed they were excluded from this influential atmosphere, people oftentimes do not even realize how much they are being influenced by the ideas being shared around them. People begin to form their “own” opinions, meanwhile all the information they hear is being instilled in their brain, making all their ideas unoriginal and biased. Lewis describes how difficult it is to realize you are stuck in this cycle throughout the chapters. Although Gaius and Titus agree with the concept of opposing propaganda, Lewis believes their ideas are not very far off from the new type of education that he disagrees with.