(speaking in the person of His Abysmal Majesty Screwtape, who is instructing a younger tempter in Satan's employ.)
I have great hopes that we shall learn in due time how to emotionalise and mythologise their science to such an extent that what is, in effect, a belief in us (though not under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains closed to the belief in the Enemy. The 'Life Force', the worship of sex, and some aspects of Psychoanalysis, may here prove useful. If once we can produce our perfect work - the Materialist Magician, the man, not using, but veritably worshipping, what he vaguely calls 'Forces' while denying the existence of 'spirits' - then the end of the war will be in sight.
C. S. Lewis, 1898-1963, The Screwtape Letters, 7 (Harper-Collins, 1996, pp. 31-32)
Is such a materialist magician possible? How close are we to seeing one? What would the results look like?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment