The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy: The Lion, the Witch, and the Worldview (Popular Culture and Philosophy)

The __Chronicles of Narnia__ series has entertained millions of readers, both children and adults, since the appearance of the first book in 1950. Here, scholars turn the lens of philosophy on these timeless tales. Engagingly written for a lay audience, these essays consider a wealth of topics centered on the ethical, spiritual, mythic, and moral resonances in the adventures of Aslan, the Pevensie children, and the rest of the colorful cast. Do the spectacular events in Narnia give readers a simplistic view of human choice and decision making? Does Aslan offer a solution to the problem of evil? What does the character of Susan tell readers about Lewis’s view of gender? How does Lewis address the Nietzschean “master morality” embraced by most of the villains of the __Chronicles?__ With these and a wide range of other questions, this provocative book takes a fresh view of the world of Narnia and expands readers’ experience of it. Part 1 : Farewell to shadowlands : believing, doubting, and knowing. Aslan's voice : C.S. Lewis and the magic of sound / Stephen H. Webb Virtue epistemology : why Uncle Andrew couldn't hear the animals speak / Kevin Kinghorn Trusting Lucy : believing the incredible / Thomas D. Senor Breaking the spell of skepticism : Puddleglum versus the Green Witch / Steven Lovell At any rate there's no humbug here : truth and perspective / Bruce R. Reichenbach Part 2 : The tao in Narnia : morality and the good life. Worth dying for : Narnian lessons on heroism and altruism / Laura Garcia Work, vocation, and the good life in Narnia / Devin Brown The tao of Narnia / Tim Mosteller Extreme makeover : moral development and the encounter with Aslan / Bill Davis Is it good to be bad? : immoralism in Narnia / Janice Daurio Narnia and the moral imagination / Gayne J. Anacker Beasts, heroes, and monsters : configuring the moral imaginary / Wendy C. Hamblet No longer a friend : gender in Narnia / Karin Fry Part 3 : Further up and further in : exploring the deeper nature of reality. Plato in Narnia / Gareth Matthews Different worlds, different bodies : personal identity in Narnia / Timothy Cleveland Why Eustace almost deserved his name : Lewis's critique of modern secularism / Angus Menuge Time keeps on ticking, or does it? : the significance of time in The chronicles of Narnia / Michael and Adam Peterson Part 4 : The deepest magic : religion and the transcendent. Aslan the Terrible : painful encounters with absolute goodness / Erik J. Wielenberg Worthy of a better God : religious diversity and salvation in The chronicles of Narnia / James F. Sennett The atonement in Narnia / Charles Taliaferro and Rachel Traughber The Green Witch and the great debate : freeing Narnia from the spell of the Lewis-Anscombe legend / Victor Reppert Some dogs go to heaven : Lewis on animal salvation / Gregory Bassham Contents 8 Acknowledgments 11 Abbreviations 12 Narnia and the Enchantment of Philosophy 14 PART I: FAREWELL TO SHADOWLANDS: Believing, Doubting, and Knowing 18 1. Aslan's Voice: C.S. Lewis and the Magic of Sound 20 2. Virtue Epistemology: Why Uncle Andrew Couldn't Hear the Animals Speak 32 3. Trusting Lucy: Believing the Incredible 44 4. Breaking the Spell of Skepticism: Puddleglum versus the Green Witch 58 5. At Any Rate There's No Humbug Here: Truth and Perspective 70 PART II: THE TAO IN NARNIA: Morality and the Good Life 82 6. Worth Dying For: Narnian Lessons on Heroism and Altruism 84 7. Work, Vocation, and the Good Life in Narnia 96 8. The Tao of Narnia 111 9. Extreme Makeover: Moral Education and the Encounter with Aslan 123 10. Is It Good to Be Bad? Immoralism in Narnia 136 11. Nania and the Moral Imagination 147 12. Beasts, Heroes, and Monsters: Configuring the Moral Imaginary 160 13. No Longer a Friend of Narnia: Gender in Narnia 172 PART III: FURTHER UP AND FURTHER IN: Exploring the Deeper Nature of Reality 184 14. Plato in Narnia 186 15. Different Worlds, Different Bodies; Personal Identity in Narnia 197 16. Why Eustace Almost Deserved His Name: Lewis's Critique of Modern Secularism 210 17. Time Keeps on Ticking, Or Does It? The Significance of Time in The Chronicles of Narnia 221 PART IV: THE DEEPEST MAGIC: Religion and the Transcendent 236 18. Aslan the Terrible: Painful Encounters with Absolute Goodness 238 19. Worth of a Better God: Religious Diversity and Salvation in The Chronicles of Narnia 248 20. The Atonement in Narnia 262 21. The Green Witch and the Great Debate: Freeing Narnia from the Spell of the Lewis-Anscombe Legend 277 22. Some Dogs Go to Heaven: Lewis on Animal Salvation 290 The Adventurers 304 The Marsh-wiggle’s Index 310 Pushing through some mothballed fur coats in a wardrobe in a disused room of an old London house, Lucy and the other Pevensie children found themselves in a strange and wonderful country, populated by creatures unknown in our world. Philosophy, too, can take us into a magical new place with its own peculiar delights and dangers. Here twenty-four philosophers and Narnia fans relate some of the things they have witnessed in the weird world of Narnia and the even weirder world of philosophy. Philosophy, it turns out, can be as addictive as the White Witch's turkish delight, though hopefully not always so frustrating. Under what conditions should we believe a story that runs counter to all our experience? Does might make right or are there objective moral rules? Would Albert Einstein have made any sense of the claim that time can flow at different rates in different worlds? If a boy is turned into a dragon, is the dragon still the same person as the boy? Can salvation be found in many religions or only in one? Do animals -- even the ones that don't talk -- have souls? These puzzles and more are bravely attacked in The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy. - Publisher.

The Chronicles of Narnia series has entertained millions of readers, both children and adults, since the appearance of the first book in 1950. Here, scholars turn the lens of philosophy on these timeless tales. Engagingly written for a lay audience, these essays consider a wealth of topics centered on the ethical, spiritual, mythic, and moral resonances in the adventures of Aslan, the Pevensie children, and the rest of the colorful cast. Do the spectacular events in Narnia give readers a simplistic view of human choice and decision making? Does Aslan offer a solution to the problem of evil? What does the character of Susan tell readers about Lewis’s view of gender? How does Lewis address the Nietzschean “master morality” embraced by most of the villains of the Chronicles? With these and a wide range of other questions, this provocative book takes a fresh view of the world of Narnia and expands readers’ experience of it.

The director of the Center for Ethics and Public Life presents a series of essays on the philosophical implications of the Narnia series, exploring Lewis's perspectives on gender, the Nietzschean "master morality" among Narnia's villains, and much more. Original. Farewell to shadowlands : believing, doubting, and knowing The Tao in Narnia : ethics Further up and further in : metaphysics The deepest magic : religion and the transcendent.