C.S. Lewis on the Ethics of Technology I Prof. Thomas Ward

Aug 18, 2025

Join Professor Thomas Ward, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at The University of Texas at Austin, as he dives into profound discussions on technology and ethics. He shares insights from C.S. Lewis, particularly his concerns about moral values fading in a tech-driven society. The conversation also tackles the dangers of dehumanization through technological control and the moral implications of advanced technology and eugenics. Ward’s analysis connects philosophical history to today's ethical dilemmas, making for a thought-provoking listen.

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ADVICE

Treat Tech As Value-Laden Tools

Do recognize technology as tools to overcome human limitations, not value-neutral goods.
Make ethical reflection part of technology design and use, not mere compliance training.

insights

INSIGHT

Tech Concentrates Power

Technology grants power over nature and also grants power over other people to those who control it.
Control of technology therefore reshapes social power relationships, not just capabilities.

insights

INSIGHT

Human Life As Raw Material

Lewis imagines conditioners who use eugenics and psychology to fully control future humans.
This would turn new human life into raw material for artifacts rather than persons.

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Exploring Moral Values and Technology: Insights from C.S. Lewis

02:45 • 13min

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The Threat of Dehumanization through Technological Control

15:23 • 22min

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In 'Miracles', C.S. Lewis argues that miracles are not statistically anomalous events but rather 'an interference with Nature by supernatural power'. He challenges rationalists and naturalists by presenting a case for the possibility of miracles, defining them as events that do not break the laws of nature but rather operate outside of them. Lewis does not attempt to prove the historical accuracy of Christian miracles but instead lays a philosophical foundation for understanding and accepting the possibility of miracles. The book is a significant work in Christian apologetics, using lucid exposition and illuminating metaphors to make its case.

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In 'Mere Christianity', C.S. Lewis argues for the existence of God and defends Christian theology. The book is divided into four parts: the first argues for the existence of God based on the 'law of human nature'; the second defends Christian theology, including the 'Liar, lunatic, or Lord' trilemma regarding Jesus Christ; the third explores Christian ethics, including the cardinal and theological virtues; and the fourth discusses the Christian conception of God, particularly the Holy Trinity. Lewis also addresses topics such as free will, morality, sexual ethics, and the institution of marriage. The book is known for its clear and logical presentation of Christian apologetics and has been praised for its straightforward and humorous writing style.

Prof. Thomas Ward explores C. S. Lewis’s "The Abolition of Man", analyzing how technology’s conquest of nature risks diminishing humanity unless anchored by objective moral values.

This lecture was given on April 8th, 2025, at Indiana University.

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About the Speaker:

Thomas M. Ward is Associate Professor of Philosophy at The University of Texas at Austin, in the School of Civic Leadership. He specializes in the history of philosophy and theology of the Middle Ages. Ward is the author of After Stoicism: Last Words of the Last Roman Philosopher (Word on Fire, 2024), Ordered by Love: An Introduction to John Duns Scotus (Angelico, 2022), Divine Ideas (Cambridge University Press, 2020), and has translated, with commentary, John Duns Scotus’s Treatise on the First Principle (Hackett, 2024). He has been a NEH Fellow (2022) and Harvey Fellow (2009-2011), and is a past winner of the Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy Founder's Award (2013) and the American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly Rising Scholar Essay Contest (2018). He studied philosophy at Biola University (BA 2004) and theology at Oxford University (M.Phil 2006), where he was Head Resident at the Kilns, the former residence of C.S. Lewis. His PhD in philosophy is from UCLA (2011). Ward is married with six children and is a member of St. Peter Catholic Student Center in Waco.

Keywords: Abolition of Man, Artificial Contraception, Catholicism, C. S. Lewis, Eugenics, Ethics of Technology, Incarnation, Posthumanism, Practical Reasoning, Virtue Ethics

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