Right and Wrong

Remember last week I posted that I was joining a book discussion on C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity?   Today we discuss the first chapter, "The Law of Human Nature".  My friend Sarah is hosting the discussion today, where you can find several links to other blogs discussing this chapter.

I'm glad I don't have to give a synopsis of the whole chapter (all FOUR pages), because every paragraph he writes says a mouthful! (though so far, not difficult at all to understand).   Take parts of these two paragraphs.

" I know that some  people  say the idea of a Law  of  Nature or decent

behaviour known to all men is unsound, because different  civilisations  and

different ages have had quite different moralities."

"But this  is  not  true.........for  our present purpose I need only ask the reader to think what a totally different

morality  would  mean. Think of  a country  where  people were admired  for

running away in battle, or where a man felt proud of double-crossing all the

people who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine a

country  where  two  and  two made five. Men have differed  as regards what

people you ought to be unselfish to-whether it was only your own  family, or

your  fellow  countrymen, or everyone. But they have always agreed that you

ought  not to  put yourself  first. Selfishness has never been admired. Men

have differed as to whether you should have one wife or four. But they have

always agreed that you must not simply have any woman you liked."

All people will agree  "What is mine is mine."   We all feel entitled to our property.  The question is whether what is yours is negotiable...   I suppose Lewis would say the answer to that is dependent on whom "you" are in various cultures.   Are you my family or friend?   My neighbor?  My protector?   Different cultures may differ as to who gets treated with unselfishness, but not about what constitutes the rights of the chosen. 

I find his take refreshing compared to the “truth is relative” nonsense we hear so much in our own culture.