Which 1943 C.S. Lewis book argues that education needs objective moral values?

The Abolition of Man is the 1943 C.S. Lewis book that argues education needs objective moral values. It developed from three lectures Lewis delivered at the University of Durham in February 1943, later published under the subtitle Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools.

Lewis criticizes a style of moral education that treats value judgments as nothing more than personal feelings. He argues that such teaching can weaken students’ ability to recognize genuine obligations and virtues. His discussion draws on traditions from different cultures and calls the shared moral order the Tao.

The final part considers how technological control over nature could become control by some human beings over others. The title does not mean that Lewis advocated abolishing humanity; it refers to the possibility that people may be reduced by a philosophy that denies stable human nature and objective value.

The book is sometimes confused with The Abolition of Man’s related themes in Mere Christianity, but it is a separate work of cultural criticism. Its compact length and philosophical argument have made it a frequent subject of debate in education and ethics.