The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life |
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| Title: | The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life |
| Author: | Armand M. Nicholi Jr. |
| Publisher: | Free Press |
| Type: | Book / Paperback |
| Publication Date: | 29 July, 2003 |
| ISBN / ISBN-13: | 074324785X / 9780743247856 |
| List Price: | $15.00 |
| You Save: | $4.20 |
| Amazon Price: | $10.80 |
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Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
Throughout the ages, many of the world's greatest thinkers have wrestled with the concept of -- and belief in -- God. It may seem unlikely that any new arguments or insights could be raised, but the twentieth century managed to produce two brilliant men with two diametrically opposed views about the question of God: Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis. They never had an actual meeting, but in The Question of God, their arguments are placed side by side for the very first time. For more than twenty-five years, Armand Nicholi has taught a course at Harvard that compares the philosophical arguments of both men. In The Question of God, Dr. Nicholi presents the writings and letters of Lewis and Freud, allowing them to "speak" for themselves on the subject of belief and disbelief. Both men considered the problem of pain and suffering, the nature of love and sex, and the ultimate meaning of life and death -- and each of them thought carefully about the alternatives to their positions. The inspiration for the PBS series of the same name, The Question of God does not presuppose which man -- Freud the devout atheist or Lewis the atheist-turned-believer -- is correct in his views. Rather, readers are urged to join Nicholi and his students and decide for themselves which path to follow.
Amazon.com Review
Of course we can never really answer the question of whether God exists. And of course it would have been highly unlikely for Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis to discuss this question in person, considering that they were born in different countries and a generation apart. Nonetheless, The Question of God allows readers to listen in on one of the most articulate debates possible by creating a virtual meeting of Freud and Lewis. For the past 25 years, Armand M. Nicholi has taught a similar course at Harvard, where he compares Freud’s atheist-based reasoning against the atheist-turned-believer C.S. Lewis. Both men were considered brilliant, highly educated thinkers who profoundly influenced 20th-century thought. And both men presented compelling arguments for and against the existence of God. At the core is Freud’s assertion that God is a figment of the imagination (more accurately, God is an outcome of our deep-seated need for protection, stemming from the helplessness of early childhood). Lewis, on the other hand, did not see the belief in a higher power as a childish need for comfort. In fact, he wrote, "rendering back one's will which we have so long claimed for our own, is, in itself, extremely painful. To surrender a self-will inflamed and swollen with years of usurpation is a kind of death." Nicholi never take sides. Instead he gives both men a chance to eloquently answer the big questions of humanity: why is there suffering? What should be our guiding belief? How do we form a moral compass? Surprisingly, this debate turns out to be a fascinating page-turner, with most of the credit going to Nicholi. Because he understands these men's arguments so well and respects their beliefs so thoroughly, believers could begin to have doubts and atheists could start to wonder. Regardless of where you ultimately land on the question of God, this stellar book will deeply enrich your understanding of humanity. --Gail Hudson
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Customer Reviews:
• More Appetizing That Trudging Through A Theories Textbook....
17 December, 2009
Dr. Armand N. Nicholi, Jr., succinctly exposes the ambivalent worldviews--heart, mind, and soul--of C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud. Each characterize the opposing spectrum of beliefs which cascade humanity's existence--unbelief, as represented by the materialist worldview, and belief, as represented by the spiritual. Dr. Nicholi brings awareness to the development of humanity and the choice of will to follow determined paths of existence and belief. He accomplishes this task by carefully examining Lewis and Freud as model spokesmen of their worldviews.
As much as the book is a detailed examination of their individual beliefs, Dr. Nicholi alerts the reader to how each man developed into their highly oppositional paradigms though sharing profound similarities of wounded living and development throughout their lives. The doctor entertains the prospects of dialogue if Lewis and Freud would have meet and compared/contrasted the significant existential themes of living--God, Love, Sex, Death, etc.
This is probably one of the most profound books I have had the opportunity to read and reflect upon throughout my college and seminary journey. Each man experienced the themes which all humanity encounters to some degree of depth throughout life. We are born, experience life, and die. We all have the same destiny in this regard, but it is the perplexing vision of how each human responds to these experiences--often times in opposition--while sharing significant similarities. This was the case with Lewis and Freud, and so it is with the rest of us.
I am often stupefied at my place in this world (thanks Michael W. Smith...it was significant in my life back in the 80s). Regardless of my wounded past, I here stand before the throne with confidence enduring this broken existence by a hope which is transcendent and holy, not temporal and finite. I envision that I could have as easily ended up on the otherside of the tracks, but for whatever reason, I did not (though I envision this reason was divinely orchestrated).
This unraveling of Lewis and Freud's life impressed a greater desire to delve into the depths of our created existence through the eyes of the divine while continuing to experience life as a wounded and fallen creature--yet grace filled--moving towards our glorified destiny. The desire to experience life with expectant hope is more satisfying than a life lived through anxiety and fear. My heart celebrates with the longings of Lewis but is pained in the gloom of Freud. As much as we must take a side, it may be that we too often live in both of their realities.
This book definitively tore my mind away from the abstract of Lewis' depth of theology and Freud's breadth of philosophy and theory. Regardless of occupation, pastor or counselor, both Lewis and Freud have made a lasting impression upon the world and we would be wise to cautiously approach and appreciate the profundity of their work. This book is a success and would be a great place to begin existential exploration.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Using Freud As A Front.
20 January, 2009
Without reading the reviews I started this book. Have only heard half, but after a feigned objectivity it is blatantly biased. It is a book contrasting three people actually; Freud, Lewis before and Lewis after his conversion.
Already it is obvious the author is making a case for happiness being exclusive to those that believe. He contrasts Lewis in the last part of his life with Freud and the younger Lewis. It is easy to skew any look at Freud simply because he is open and honest about any assertions he could make against the existence of a superior being.
If you are looking for an unbiased comparison of the two men, look elsewhere. The author simply uses Freud to assert a favorable view of Lewis. Of course, if in the last half of the book the author leans again toward objectivity I will amend this assessment.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Fantastic. A Most Interesting Book. A Review Of The Audiobook.
14 March, 2009
"The Question of God" is a fascinating book. I heard it is an audiobook. I listen to audiobooks as an interesting diversion during my commute to work and I found this book to fit the bill perfectly. It is narrated wonderfully by Robert Whitfield.
Fans of Freud have complained about the book because they think that Lewis comes out of these debates much stronger than Freud. I agree. But, I do not think Freud was disparaged or misrepresented in them.
Large, generous quotes from both men are the main feature. Both men speak for themselves with Nicholi adding releveant supporting information with occasional discussion of his own research. The arguments flow naturally and I cannot recall a time when the discussion seemed forced.
The audio version lasts about 8 hours 15 minutes.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Blah Blah Blah
11 January, 2010
This book may be interesting to people who have never read or thought about Lewis or Freud, but otherwise it is just like reading pop psychology. Lewis thought this, blah blah blah, Freud thought this, blah blah blah. And, the writer is a Christianity sympathizer who obviously has bias. This might be a great book for those who have never read anything beyond Psychology Today. Maybe high school kids... if there's any left who still read books.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Fascinating Debate Between Intellectual Giants
19 August, 2009
What Dr. Armand Nicholi attempts in this book is to synthesize a debate on "The Question of God" between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis based upon the authentic words of each. If the project sounds ambitious, it may come as a pleasant surprise to learn that it works very well in practice. Freud, the father of the modern science of psychology, was an atheist who was influenced by the likes of Hegel, Feuerbach and Nietzsche. Lewis was an atheist in his early life but converted to Christianity, in no small part due to the influence of J.R. Tolkien. Like Tolkien a fiction author, Lewis went on to become perhaps the most famous of all Christian apologists. It is not known for sure whether Freud and Lewis ever met in person; Freud was the older by over 40 years, but if they had ever debated the subject of God, it would have been a true battle of great minds.
A number of reviews claim that the book is biased; I cannot detect any evidence of that and feel that Nicholi goes to considerable lengths to represent fairly what each of the "virtual" combatants said in the appropriate context. Nicholi counsels readers in the words of Francis Bacon to: "Read not to contradict ... but to weigh and consider." I suspect the accusations of bias are no more than reflections of this advice ignored. The words of Lewis, when he was an atheist, might easily have been said by today's atheists: "... the impression I got was that religion in general, though utterly false, was a natural growth, a kind of endemic nonsense into which humanity tended to blunder." Freud used even harsher rhetoric: "tales of miracles ... contradicted everything that had been taught by sober observation and betrayed too clearly the influence of the activity of the human imagination ... [the Scriptures] are full of contradictions, revisions and falsifications" ... no intelligent person can accept the "absurdities" or "fairy tales" of believers ... "religious ideas, which are given out as teachings ... are illusions, fulfillments of the oldest, strongest and most urgent wishes of mankind. The secret of their strength lies in the strength of these wishes ... when a man has once brought himself to accept uncritically all the abrurdities that religious doctrines put before him and, even so, overlook the contradictions before them, we need not be greatly surprised at the weakness of his intellect."
As Nicholi points out, one cannot accuse Lewis of suffering from "weakness of his intellect", which was among the greatest of modern times. Unlike Freud, Lewis abandoned his atheism and became a fierce advocate for Christianity. One of the reasons was the argument from morality: "when a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less ... [of Christ] the general agreement that in the teaching of this Man and of His immediate followers, moral truth is exhibited at its purest ... it is full of wisdom and shrewdness ... the product of a sane mind." Nicholi quotes the atheist Freud as admitting: "one could cite just my case for your view that an impulsion toward the ideal forms an essential part of our constitution." These examples serve to show how skilful (as well as entertaining) Nicholi was in compiling this book; it reads almost exactly as if he were reporting on an actual debate. This is a very interesting and creative account of how two great minds might have "duked it out" had they had the opportunity - an excellent read.
- Amazon Customer Review
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