Existentialism bores me, and relativism is so lame. I discovered early in high school that the good and evil question got every one, every time. Let them preach about culturally determined standards or Freudian fear of punishment, but whenever I asked them if it was right or wrong for me to shoot their girlfriend of boyfriend in the head for no reason, they always said it was wrong. Why? Because it is. Typically the conversation shut down at this point, as they had no answer and I was smug. The true existentialist or relativist (I've only met one, and he wears a cape), probably wouldn't care, but I wonder what he or she would say if the gun were pointing at them?
Anyway, here is an excellent quote from Nate Wilson that just makes me smile (it's so much better if you know who Puddleglum is):
If there is such a thing as beautiful, a such a thing as good, or even such a thing as bad, then there is a transcendent standard that determines which is which. An atheist can say that society prefers mothers to murderers, but he cannot say that is as it should be. Tell us what is...but without God, you cannot tell us what ought to be.
If the world really is accidental and devoid of meaning, and you and I have no more value in the cosmos than your average bread mold, and Beauty and Goodness are artificial constructs imagined within an explosion, constructs that are controlled by chemical reactions within the accident and have no necessary correspondence to reality, then my made-up children's world licks your real world silly. Depart from me. Go drown in your seething accident. Puddleglum and I are staying here.
Lewis' The Silver Chair (where we first meet Puddleglum: one of the greatest literary characters ever) is all about reality: What is real? How do you determine it? I'm thrilled to be a part of a planned, glorious story full of snowflakes, autumn leaves, baby snot, and a sense of touch. The story could have been written any way, and your story could have been anything, but aren't you happy for absolutes and an absolutely good Author?
3 comments:
This would be a great post if there was a transcendent standard by which to determine whether it was great or not. Maybe we could ask N.D.
The Silver Chair is coming up on the Chroicles list for bedtime reading at our house, but we're only halfway through Pilgrim's journey. I'm looking forward to reading the next Narnia more now that I've got to meet this Puddleglum person.
And thanks for not putting a bullet in our (that is, the readers') head.
I am going to post a comment for myself and for some of the other staff members who are thinking, or not thinking, the same way I am, or am not.
That was way too smart a post of me. All I can think of is donkeys and orphans. Notice, there are no words in this comment more that 2 syllables:) Except for "syllables".
Prof., how did you get to be so smart?
SKH - seriously, it took me a few minutes to get the first part of your response. I must be tired - but I am smiling and appreciating the wit now :).
I'm really not smart, Chuck, I've just learned the trick of throwing around words that make me *sound* smart ;). (College is great at that - I think it's G.K. Chesterton who says something like we need to be educated with all the best the world has to offer so we learn we need none of it). Donkeys and orphans are of MUCH greater importance than relativism, in many ways. I need to spend more time thinking of them.
Post a Comment