Which C.S. Lewis work is a 1943 philosophical defense of objective moral values?

The Abolition of Man is C.S. Lewis’s 1943 philosophical defense of objective moral values. The book grew from three lectures delivered at the University of Durham in February 1943 under the title “The Abolition of Man.”

Lewis argues against an approach to education that treats value judgments as merely subjective emotional reactions. He defends what he calls the Tao, a term for a shared body of traditional moral principles found across cultures. In the final chapter, he warns that attempts to master nature can ultimately become attempts by some people to control other people.

The work is not a novel and is not primarily a biography of Lewis. It is also distinct from Mere Christianity, which presents a broader case for Christian belief. The Abolition of Man is especially associated with debates about moral realism, education, technology, and the limits of human power.