Help with reading Miracles by Lewis

[Jim]

One of my New Year’s resolutions is that I want to finally read C.S. Lewis’ book Miracles all the way through. I got through Mere Christianity pretty well, though I had to re-read several parts. So then I tried to read Miracles, but the material gets just too difficult for me to understand! I didn’t have much of a philosophy background in college. I do pretty well, up until Lewis starts to talk about the reliability of reason (I think this is called epistemology?). Anyways, I’m sure there must be plenty of folks out on the FORUMS who know this book well, inside and out. Anybody willing to help me through this book? Or maybe there’s already a thread that deeply discusses this book?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Hastrman]

I didn’t have much of a philosophy background in college.

That is probably a good thing; they don’t teach philosophy in colleges anymore–just the history of philosophy, and they usually get that wrong. A member of this forum who shall remain nameless, who apparently has a degree in philosophy, was comparing Aristotle unfavorably with Descartes, saying that Aristotle thought the mind was wholly independent of the body–unlike Descartes!

Of course, that position (which was repudiated by Aristotle), is usually known as…Cartesian Dualism. I.e., Descartes’ Dualism. Your education dollars at work.

I’ve only read Miracles once, but I just wanted to assure you, it’s not a bad thing not to have a college philosophy background. It’s better than thinking you know philosophy when you don’t.

 

[puzzleannie]

the way I approached Lewis was first through his children’s books, the Narnia series, then through his science fiction, the Perelandra trilogy, then through Screwtape, a fictionalized narrative, and only then through his “straight” books such as Mere Christianity. I am very glad to have the insight into his thinking, world view and Christian viewpoint from the lighter works first as it has helped enormously in reading his philosophical works (which are far easier for me to grasp than a lot of modern writers). The only author who does a better job of making theological constructs easy to grasp for a mind like mine is Peter Kreeft.

 

[mschrank]

How about you just post what you don’t understand, and we’ll try to help you out. It is a very dense work, no doubt. Full of insight though.

 

[aj10]

I listened to an orthodox Catholic philosopher who taught at the university level. He used this book to teach about the ontological proof for the existence of God. When I read the book, I found I needed to read each chapter several times, make notes, little diagrams and pictures, etc. In other words, it took effort on my part but it was worth the work! God Bless.

 

[utunumsint]

Peter Kreeft has several free audio recordings you can download in the MP3 format. A couple of them are short primers on some of C.S. Lewis’ books. Unfortunately, nothing for Miracles.

God bless,
Ut

 

[Jim]

How about you just post what you don’t understand, and we’ll try to help you out. It is a very dense work, no doubt. Full of insight though.

Good idea, thank you! However, I just realized that right after I started this thread that I was going go give up a considerable amount of time I spend on the internet for Lent http://www.acegames.us/forum/images/smilies/homer_simpson_doh_110w.jpg , and concentrate on some more spiritual reading, so maybe I’ll have to really get back to this after Easter, if that’s what I need to do!