The Power of Influence /// Emily Thullesen

 In chapter one of The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis greatly emphasizes the way people make assumptions about certain topics based on emotional reactions to things. By contrasting The Green Book with the Tao filled with value judgments, Lewis shows how many people have a skewed vision of reality based on things they were influenced by. Lewis’s incorporation of these two very different sources into the first part of his writing create an eye opening experience for the reader as the power of influence is considered in the light of what is truly, morally right. 

This caused me to think about how truly far many people and even myself have become from the truth on any given topic because of the things that we hear, see, and are emotionally convicted by. How often have we stopped to consider different sides of a scenario or sought the actual truth rather than making assumptions? This book was hard for me to digest at first, but after dwelling on Lewis’ writings I have a new awareness for how easily influenced I am by this world and how other people are as well. 

I commented on Emily Otts and Lily Caswell’s posts. 

Comments

  1. Bug OlsenMarch 14, 2022 at 10:08 PM

    I thoroughly enjoyed your post. I liked what you said about how many influences there are in the world, and we must be able to separate what is right and what is wrong from all of these sources. It also means having a better understanding of these sources so that we can determine this, and thus be able to see from both points in an argument, which is an extremely valuable skill that I feel has been lost today.

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  2. Emma Kate PattersonMarch 15, 2022 at 8:59 AM

    I think you are absolutely correct in saying that people often jump to conclusions before actually thinking about the idea or situation. All too many times people make presuppositions before knowing the facts. It is important to look at the idea or situation before judging or making assumptions.

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  3. IsabelleMarch 15, 2022 at 9:02 AM

    Hi Emily! You are absolutely right. We are put in an environment at the age of six in which we have are required to listen to an authority figure and do as we are told. This process continues until we reach adulthood, and sometimes it goes on after that. We are essentially set up to allow others to think for us.

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