Problems with Subjectivism
Lewis is concerned that students are being taught to discount their own experiences, and those of others, thereby making everything merely an object, and also relegating a person's feelings about a certain object to reflect on their own ability to feel; for example, if they express dislike for something, subjectivist claim that this merely tells us that they have dislikable feelings. Lewis feels that this is ridiculous and that it starts us along the slippery slope of taking out all emotional reactions to things and instead becoming more like robots with no emotions or feelings at all.
Universal Values
Lewis believes that because education is designed to tell children what is good and what is bad, and therefore that they should like what is good and dislike what is bad, those who grow up without such an education will be devoid of human emotions. He is concerned that this makes us all less human.
The Dangers of Thought Control
Lewis's fear that one day man's natural emotions will be defunct and that our thought processes will be controlled by a select few psychological experts is one of the central themes of his book. This would mean that people could be controlled too well by those who by now know how they think, what makes them tick, and what triggers will incite the response that they are looking for.
Natural Law
A significant theme in The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis is the importance of Natural Law, a concept that transcends human cultures and societies. Natural Law is a set of universal, unchangeable rules that determine what is reasonable and just within the community. It also encompasses the social norms that humans naturally develop within their societies. Lewis's argument for Natural Law is based on two assumptions about human nature: 1) humans have an inherent knowledge of Natural Law, and 2) humans are incapable of determining for themselves what is good or just. As a result, he asserts that higher education should be focused on teaching people to use their natural knowledge of Natural Law to make moral decisions rather than using their ideas about morality.
Role of women in society
Another central theme of C.S. Lewis's book, "The Abolition of Man," is the role of women in society. Lewis begins his discussion by quoting a British textbook that describes the female's ovaries as unimpressive little knobs. The students who study this text are all male, and Lewis, who had been asked to review it by the Oxford Publishing Company, was shocked at the blatant sexism. He concluded that these were boys who would easily be led into misogyny. The theme of the Role of Women in Society appears throughout "The Abolition of Man." Lewis discusses how men have traditionally controlled women -- even if it was not with physical force -- and how women who have tried to break free from their traditional roles have been punished by society. Lewis also explains how many women have been taught that they should only aspire to marry and bear children. To do anything else, such as work outside the home or pursue an academic career, would be seen as selfish. According to Lewis, this is another example of how men have oppressed women because they have been told their role in life.
