The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis Chapter 1

Logic vs Emotional Persuasion

I have recently revisited a wonderful book- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. The genius of the book is its simultaneous balancing of a light-hearted fictional tale of two devils who conspire to misguide their human charges, with truly revelatory insights into human psychology and weakness. It has led its readers to both laugh and sigh in contemplation ever since its publication.

Admittedly, Lewis wrote the book for a Christian audience, but one of the most enthralling things about the book is the universality of its lessons. God-conscious humans of any bent can take pleasure and benefit, and this is why I wish to write my reflections for a Muslim audience. Coming from a Sufi background myself, I was readily able to see the parallels in the concerns of the author and the Sufi tradition with critical introspection and self-delusion. I found his subtle advice for avoiding these spiritual perils quite enlightening. I hope that I can increase the readership of the original, and possibly draw out some of the more subtle allusions, especially for a contemporary audience with Islamic sensibilities.

The Delusion

In this opening chapter, Screwtape, our senior devil, points out to Wormwood that his satisfaction at having convinced his human charge of the virtues of materialism was misplaced. Any strategy that involved logical argumentation and evidence was dangerous, for it was susceptible to an equally convincing counterargument from God (referred to as 'The Enemy').

Times had changed Screwtape notes, for people no longer were trained in strict thinking processes that would lead them to structure their thinking such, that once convinced of its truth they would believe and act accordingly. Instead after centuries of sustained effort by 'The father above' (that's Iblis to you and me), people's thinking was now hazy. They no longer had the discipline to separate and judge an argument based upon truth and falsehood, but rather were accustomed to maintaining several mutually incompatible ideas simultaneously, completely oblivious to the contradictions.

Furthermore, there was a more serious worry. By trying to convince a person by logical argument, Wormwood was inadvertently encouraging the person to think abstractly, in terms of universals. Instead, Wormwood should dedicate his attention to busying the mind of the human with the constant stream of 'immediate sense perceptions', and teach him to consider these sensations 'real life' without ever wondering too much about what 'real' actually means.

This tactic was far better than logic. What Screwtape had realised was, why try and convince someone of something, which suffered from the weakness of having to deal with a counterclaim, when one could achieve the same ends by engrossing the person in the lived experience of materialism. Ultimately the goal would be met, which was to ensure life was lived empty of meaning.

The Remedy

The importance of Logic

It can be argued that one of the central themes of both Christianity and Islam is the futility of this worldly life, and the central importance of the world to come. In the Quran, Allah tells us '...as compared with the life of the hereafter, the life of this world is nothing but a brief passing enjoyment' (Al-Rad: 26). The Prophet similarly informs us that the most intelligent person is the one who remembers and prepares for death the most (Ibn Majah).

Materialism is the philosophy or life orientation that prioritises the accumulation of objects/things, not as a means to something, but simply because of the pleasure that those things bring. Defined as such, one can easily see why it is the polar opposite of the type of psyche which religion aims to mould; one willing to forsake the pleasures of this world to attain glory in the next.

The most intelligent person is the one who remembers and prepares for death the most

Like a young baby who is unable to maintain belief in an object once it is removed from sight, most of us 'find it all but impossible to believe in the unfamiliar while the familiar is before their eyes (1). What (should) set us apart from babies and animals is our ability to think. What Lewis means by thinking here is not the constant monologue that runs in our minds when we consider the trivialities of day to life like what to eat and when to sleep. Rather, it is formally trained, disciplined thinking that is the hallmark of the Human being.

To define rationality is beyond the scope of this piece and I'm sure beyond the scope of my expertise, but let me suggest at least that a key component of rational/logical thinking is consistency. A rational person is someone who can order their ideas based upon experience and devise a way of living that is consistent with these ideals.

We observe repeatedly for example, that great results and achievements come after great sacrifice and toil. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, all achieved the epitome of their respected fields after a lifetime of dedication to their craft. If this is true and convincing, then one might assume the same would be true when it comes to the ultimate test or challenge, which is the question of our salvation before God. If it is worth sacrificing pleasures and past time for a temporary success within the world, forfeiting one's life for infinite pleasure should be self-evident.

The Devils Trick

The devil's trick is two-fold. First, he relegates thoughts from the domain of truth and falsehood to emotion. Let people think of materialism as 'strong, or stark, or courageous' Screwtape advises. The reason this is so dangerous and so seductive is that emotional thinking is like a tidal wave, it is powerful but non-discriminatory. This is the domain of advertising, to make people buy something, not because of its inherent attributes but because of the way it makes us feel. Unable to organise our thoughts with the aid of rational thinking, we are vulnerable to believing anything, and without it, there is no defense against materialism's appeal to immediate gratification.

The second tactic is to so occupy us with the unrelenting, unceasing 'stream of sensation', that we seldom have an opportunity to use our logic. As Huxley similarly predicted in Brave New World, man is much easier controlled by overstimulation and gratification than coercion. It is rare today to have a serious conversation in the public square without being looked at oddly or worse chastised. It seems religion and politics are not the only taboo subjects today, as anything other than the latest reality TV show seems to be increasingly off-limits.

The remedy seems then is to recognise the value and power of the rational mind. Allah often reminds us this, when He informs us 'Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allah are the deaf and dumb who do not use reason' (Anfal-22). We are encouraged to reflect (tadabbur) which means to go back and forth from source to the target to analogies and draw valid lessons from our experience. For this to be possible, however, and for us to have the mental space to process these rather abstract ideas, we must learn to withdraw from our immediate 'sensual' experience of the world to a place of objectivity. By way of an important side note, that is what logic is, the study of inference that is designed to remove personal human bias.

Two Systems of Thinking

In 'Thinking Fast and Slow' Daniel Kahneman shows us how human beings have two ways of thinking and decision making (2). The first is the dominant way which is characterised by quick, visceral, intuitive thought processes. We might for example assume something is better quality because it costs more, or assume something is a good deal if lots of people are buying it. This type of thinking is advantageous because it helps us make quick assessments and these are often correct. The danger however is becoming complacent and not recognising the possible inaccuracy of the method.

On the other hand, the alternative system of thinking is to think much more critically and scientifically about the data. It is to try and remove bias when making inferences. The advantage of this method is obvious, but the trade-off is the time and effort this requires. One might crudely categories the two systems as 'lazy' and 'thorough' thinking respectively.

Advertisers, with PhDs in Psychology, take full advantage of the human tendency to fall back on 'lazy' thinking protocols. They aim to overpower our logic by the sheer force of emotion. Emotive language and images make our higher cognitive faculties redundant. This is bad enough when we are being tricked into buying something, but it is rather more serious when the question of our salvation is on the line.

Living in the Information age, it is ironic how little people think. Our lives are increasingly automated and while this should mean we have more time to reflect on the meaning of the mundane, the modern plight is the overindulgence in it. As believers, we are obliged to show gratitude for the gifts bestowed on us by Allah, and without doubt, among the greatest of these is the mind.

References

(1) Lewis, C., 1961. The Screwtape Letters. New York: Macmillan.

(2) Kahneman, D. and Egan, P., n.d. Thinking, fast and slow.