E. DuBose Post 12: Outside Reading 3

21APR12

Nature

 A predominant theme in Lewis is "nature."  It is seen repeatedly in Till We Have Faces and in Mere Christianity.  At the end of the first chapter in Mere Christianity Lewis states that their are two points he is making:  that one, humans have an innate sense of how to behave and that two, that they do not behave in that way.  I find this very interesting as well as another "reason for God."  I suppose everything unexplainable could be defaulted to God, however, this isn't just unexplainable but also universal.  Anything which is universal is extremely interesting and worth investigating because if something is universal it is therefore natural and innate to human beings.  But what exactly does Lewis mean by "nature."  I would assume, first, that there is a difference between Nature and nature.  Nature (with a small "n") would mean the earth, in my experience of knowledge.  And Nature (capitol "n") would mean something more abstract.  Nature with a capitol n represents the primary world as a whole and is not one single thing like a flower or the clouds.  Nature with a capitol n is much more than the seen and mainly the unseen -- it is the inner workings of us and our universe that we cannot see nor control.  In Till We Have Faces it seems as Fox uses nature in the sense of the word with a capitol n.  Fox really attributes all workings of the unknown and uncontrollable to Nature.  As humans we have always had ways of explaining and dealing with the concept of nature.  For me, it is not so much as the way humans have tried to explain it that is fascinating but that humans have such a strong desire and need to define it, know it, control it.  Humans must do these things so that we can label with them language so that we can assign meaning and understanding which lead to "reality."  Hence myth.  Myth does a perfect job of this.  Myth gives meaning and significance to the unknown.  Myth allows us to understand Nature and to communicate that understanding with others.  We long as a human race to know what we do not.  I'm not sure if that is a sin -- to want to be all knowing -- or if that is something that God but in us so that we seek Him on an inherent level (whether we know we are seeking Him or not).