In C.S. Lewis Out of the Silent planet there is a
conversation between Weston and Ransom about the basis of ethics in relation to
science. I had a conversation with a physics friend of mine about this issue,
who held a belief similarly to Weston and I was able to unintentionally
recreate this portion of the book through actually living.
My conversation with my friend went in a similar vein, that
human progress is the ultimate goal of mankind, that advancing the species as a
whole is more important then ensuring the protection of one. His reasoning
followed that the sum of parts cannot be more important than a whole. That one
would sacrifice the a limb to save the body.
This is vary similar to Weston’s remarks about the boy Harry
and how he would never amount to anything and would likely wind up in the
custody of the state any how and therefore should be used. As he remarked
Ransom could actually produce something for society and it’s a pity to waste
him. So the best way to analyze the worth of an person is by looking at what
they can contribute, in a similar vein as tools.
My friend again took a similar position, though when I questioned
him on who should administer this, as Weston remark himself. My friend conceded
that its too much power to trust any on particular person as he would most
likely be fallible, and some sort of aristocratic rule of the intelligentsia
would be best. But for practical purposes a democracy could even work, as he
noted only the educated ten to vote anyhow.
I stated how eugenics have been used, and he objected that
most of the Nazi and other negative stuff was based on junk science. Though he
would not entirely refute the concept of these programs if they could be administered
“objectively” and scientifically as he put it.
So what C.S. Lewis has illumined for me, is that these scary
scientific people do exists and we need vanguards to protect the individual
from them.
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