A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
In the ancient world individuals have sold themselves as slaves, in order to eat. So in society. Here is a witch-doctor who can save us from the sorcerers - a war-lord who can save us from the barbarians - a Church that can save us from Hell. Give them what they ask, give ourselves to them bound and blindfold, if only they will! Perhaps the terrible bargain will be made again. We cannot blame men for making it. We can hardly wish them not to. Yet we can hardly bear that they should.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the desperate choices individuals make for survival and the complex bargains they strike in society for safety and security.
C. S. Lewis highlights a grim reality of human existence where individuals often surrender their autonomy to powerful figures or institutions in exchange for basic needs and protection. This dynamic, wherein people willingly bind themselves to leaders, institutions, or ideologies, reveals the paradox of human dependency on authority while simultaneously leading to an internal conflict about the implications of such choices. It suggests that while such bargains are understandable in dire situations, they evoke both pity and concern about the loss of freedom.
Themes
BargainFreedomAuthoritySurvivalDependencySociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on personal liberty, one might quote Lewis to discuss the implications of surrendering freedom for security.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes βI enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
C. S. LewisRead
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