Which C.S. Lewis book argues that objective moral values are essential to education and civilization?

The C.S. Lewis book arguing that objective moral values are essential to education and civilization is The Abolition of Man.

The Abolition of Man began as three lectures delivered at the University of Durham in February 1943. It was published in book form later that year. Lewis challenged approaches to education that treated moral judgments as merely subjective emotional reactions, arguing instead for a shared moral order.

The work is organized around three chapters: “Men Without Chests,” “The Way,” and “The Abolition of Man.” Lewis used the Chinese term “Tao” to describe the objective moral tradition he believed appeared in many cultures, although his argument is presented within a Christian intellectual framework.

The title does not describe a literal biological extinction of humanity. It refers to the danger that technological power and moral subjectivism could reduce human beings’ capacity for judgment and virtue. The book is a work of philosophy and cultural criticism, not a novel.