C. S. Lewis: The Art of Disagreement

C. S. Lewis: The Art of Disagreement The world of contemporary discourse could learn a thing or two from C. S. Lewis about how to disagree. Even his intellectual opponents recognized not only his forcefulness of argument, but especially the honesty and charity in which he engaged those with whom he differed. For example, Derek Brewer remembers how Lewis would sometimes say, in the course of a tutorial, "I couldn't disagree more!" but not in a way that indicated he was offended or that Brewer was somehow unjustified in holding an opinion Lewis considered mistaken. He did not indulge in "moralizing exclusiveness," Brewer observes. Though they often differed, this led to a "fruitful dichotomy of attitudes," not to a chilling of their pedagogical relationship.

The End of Identity Politics? You know the earth beneath contemporary liberalism is shifting when a leading liberal voice publishes an article questioning one of its tenets. This hardly signals the death of identity politics—nothing so culturally powerful will go away with a sweep of the hand. But it does suggest that this approach has accomplished its purpose and may now be at a cancerous stage, something that will destroy us if we don't strengthen our nation's pluralism on a stronger foundation—and strengthen it we must: It is a truism that America has become a more diverse country. … But how should this diversity shape our politics? The standard liberal answer for nearly a generation now has been that we should become aware of and "celebrate" our differences. Which is a splendid principle of moral pedagogy—but disastrous as a foundation for democratic politics in our ideological age.

The Manipulation of Science I know I'm linking a lot to liberal-bashing articles lately, but many of them reveal a great deal about human nature. I'm not fond of the partisanship—as if there is something intrinsically evil about liberalism. The problem is the hubris of the ruling cultural and intellectual elite, which currently happens to be liberal. There is no question that if conservatives were in the ascendency, they would exhibit precisely the same blindness and hypocrisy (and do so even when not in power!). That being said, this article on the misuse and abuse of science does contain enough reality to give one pause. Science is one of those areas we imagine is run by empirical logic, but of course, it is deeply shaped by the ideological atmosphere of the times. While we recognize this reality looking back (e.g., the "science" of eugenics in the 1920s), we have a hard time seeing it today. Articles like this, for all its partisan snipes, point to some areas where science is being manipulated today.

Now for Something Less Divisive … I'm not a big fan of Amazon.com, considering how they mistreat medium and small businesses, but this commercial does have a redeeming theme that transcends its creator. I've had two knees replaced, which has made my liturgical life a little easier. I've also been involved in a lot of interfaith dialogue, and thus my attractions to this video that my wife pointed me towards.

Grace and peace,

Mark Galli Editor, Christianity Today