Private Schools Won't Save You w/ George Bagby: The J. Burden Show Ep. 377

In 'The Abolition of Man', C.S. Lewis delivers a defense of objective value and natural law, originating from his Riddell Memorial Lectures at the University of Durham in 1943. Lewis argues that education should be conducted within the context of moral law and objective values, which he terms the 'Tao'. He criticizes modern attempts to debunk these values, warning that such actions could lead to a dehumanization of society, resulting in what he calls 'Men without Chests' – individuals whose emotions have not been trained to conform to reason. The book emphasizes the universal nature of traditional moralities across different cultures and warns against the dangers of moral relativism and the reduction of human beings to mere objects of scientific analysis.

In 'Politics,' Aristotle examines the various forms of government and their strengths and weaknesses. He argues that the *polis*, or city-state, is the highest form of political association, and that humans are by nature political animals who can only achieve their full potential within such a community. Aristotle discusses different types of constitutions, including constitutional government, aristocracy, kingship, democracy, oligarchy, and tyranny, and evaluates them based on the principle of distributive justice. He also emphasizes the importance of a strong middle class, education, and the role of law in maintaining a stable and just society. The work is deeply rooted in Aristotle's teleological view of nature and his belief that the ultimate goal of human existence is happiness achieved through the exercise of reason and virtue.

In 'Ideas Have Consequences,' Richard M. Weaver argues that the decline of Western civilization is a result of the increasing acceptance of relativism over absolute reality. Despite advancements in knowledge, this shift away from the realist intellectual tradition has weakened Western society's capacity for reason, leading to catastrophic consequences for social order and individual rights. Weaver proposes a remedy in the renewed acceptance of absolute reality and the recognition that ideas, like actions, have consequences. The book also includes a foreword by Roger Kimball and an afterword by Ted J. Smith III, providing additional context and insights into Weaver's work and its historical significance.