--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you look at what C.S. Lewis is…" description: "\"“When you look at what C.S. Lewis is saying, his message is so anti-life, so cruel, so unjust. The view that the Narnia books have for the material wor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/philip-pullman-525_basis_when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-sayin_388168.png" --- # When you look at what C.S. Lewis is saying, his message is… ![“When you look at what C.S. Lewis is saying, his message is so anti-life, so cruel, so unjust. The view that the Narnia books have for the material world is one of almost undisguised contempt. At one point, the old professor says, ‘It’s all in Plato’ — meaning that the physical world we see around…” quote by Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/philip-pullman-525_basis_when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-sayin_388168.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/philip-pullman-525_basis_when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-sayin_388168.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/philip-pullman-525_basis_when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-sayin_388168.png) > ““When you look at what C.S. Lewis is saying, his message is so anti-life, so cruel, so unjust. The view that the Narnia books have for the material world is one of almost undisguised contempt. At one point, the old professor says, ‘It’s all in Plato’ — meaning that the physical world we see around us is the crude, shabby, imperfect, second-rate copy of something much better. I want to emphasize the simple physical truth of things, the absolute primacy of the material life, rather than the spiritual or the afterlife. \[ The New York Times interview, 2000 \]”” [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pullman argues that material reality is primary and spiritual narratives like Narnia diminish life’s value. **In simple terms:** Material life matters more than spiritual fantasies. Key Takeaway Prioritize tangible experiences over abstract ideals. Themes materialism philosophy literature skepticism existentialism Mood critical contemplative Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - debates on religion - literary criticism - personal worldview - educational curricula Key Concepts Platonism dualism nihilism Questions to Reflect On - Do you think materialism can fully explain human purpose? - How does dismissing spiritual narratives affect cultural empathy? A Different Perspective His view may overlook the comfort and moral guidance some find in spiritual stories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolute Primacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-primacy-3507527/) [Basis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basis/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Lewis Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lewis-saying-3507525/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Material world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material-world/) [Narnia Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narnia-books/) [Offense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offense/) [Physical Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-truth-3041801/) [Says Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-plato-3507526/) [Things Absolute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-absolute-2036590/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [York Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-times/) ## Related quotes > [The relationship between God and his people was always the one having absolute primacy, the one that had basically to determine all human relationships,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-relationship-between-god-and-his-people-was-always-the-one-having/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [These days it seems that physical truth can easily be rearranged, rethought, or re-created outright. Any image can be made pristine, all the warts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-liebling/these-days-it-seems-that-physical-truth-can-easily-be-rearranged/) [Jerome Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-liebling/) > [The calculus is the greatest aid we have to the application of physical truth in the broadest sense of the word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-fogg-osgood/the-calculus-is-the-greatest-aid-we-have-to-the-application-of/) [William Fogg Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-fogg-osgood/) > [“To Nature nothing can be added; from Nature nothing can be taken away; the sum of her energies is constant, and the utmost man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyndall/to-nature-nothing-can-be-added-from-nature-nothing-can-be-taken-away/) [John Tyndall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyndall/) > [Art achieves all little things by absolute truth: but all her great things need some admixture of illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-garnett/art-achieves-all-little-things-by-absolute-truth-but-all-her-great/) [Richard B. Garnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-garnett/) > [Among the things that you, and you alone, are the absolute and final judge of is whether or not you are a success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/among-the-things-that-you-and-you-alone-are-the-absolute-and-final/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“There is no rule that you must do great things, but whatever you do, you must do your absolute best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taskinsoy/there-is-no-rule-that-you-must-do-great-things-but-whatever-you-do/) [JOHN TASKINSOY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taskinsoy/) > [You can't relate to an absolute or it wouldn't be absolute, it would be relative. On an intellectual level, that's easy. However, you hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/you-can-t-relate-to-an-absolute-or-it-wouldn-t-be-absolute-it-would/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [There are only two things that are absolute realities, love and knowledge, and you can't escape them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/there-are-only-two-things-that-are-absolute-realities-love-and/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [“humans rarely choose things in absolute terms. We don’t have an internal value meter that tells us how much things are worth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/humans-rarely-choose-things-in-absolute-terms-we-don-t-have-an/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [“Richard put away the Narnia books, convinced, sadly, that they were an allegory; that an author (whom he had trusted) had been attempting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/richard-put-away-the-narnia-books-convinced-sadly-that-they-were-an/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“There was a birthday present waiting to be read, a boxed set of the Narnia books, which I took upstairs. I lay on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-was-a-birthday-present-waiting-to-be-read-a-boxed-set-of-the/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > ['The Chronicles of Narnia' books are great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-jonas/the-chronicles-of-narnia-books-are-great/) [Kevin Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-jonas/) > [Fantasy has a better chance of lasting than a lot of other things. The Hobbit and the Narnia books, they seem to get handed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/fantasy-has-a-better-chance-of-lasting-than-a-lot-of-other-things-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I was sad that nobody had come to my party, but happy that I had a Batman figure, and there was a birthday present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-was-sad-that-nobody-had-come-to-my-party-but-happy-that-i-had-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More by Philip Pullman > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/religion-grants-its-adherents-malign-intoxicating-and-morally/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-don-t-need-lists-of-rights-and-wrongs-tables-of-do-s-and-don-ts-we/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I have stolen ideas from every book I have ever read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-stolen-ideas-from-every-book-i-have-ever-read/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/what-i-do-say-is-that-i-can-write-verse-and-that-the-writing-of-verse/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Writing is tyranny ... but reading is democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/writing-is-tyranny-but-reading-is-democracy/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I have maintained a passionate interest in education, which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-maintained-a-passionate-interest-in-education-which-leads-me/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [And think what worrying does: has anyone ever added a single hour to the length of his life by worrying about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-think-what-worrying-does-has-anyone-ever-added-a-single-hour-to/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“The question authors get asked more than any other is "Where do you get your ideas from?" And we all find a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-question-authors-get-asked-more-than-any-other-is-where-do-you/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not,” said the witch, “or die of despair.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-are-all-subject-to-the-fates-but-we-must-all-act-as-if-we-are-not/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Lonely? I don't know. They tell me this is cold. I don't know what cold is, because I don't freeze. So I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/lonely-i-don-t-know-they-tell-me-this-is-cold-i-don-t-know-what-cold/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Just finished 'Secrecy' - truly enthralling both as a love story and as a tale of suspense - but much more than both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/just-finished-secrecy-truly-enthralling-both-as-a-love-story-and-as-a/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“As Auden is believed to have said, no poem saved a single Jew from the gas chambers. Never mind. Write the poems anyway. Play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/as-auden-is-believed-to-have-said-no-poem-saved-a-single-jew-from-the/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) [Explore all 479 Philip Pullman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## More Basis quotes > [Napster has pointed the way for a new direction for music distribution, and we believe it will form the basis of important and exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-diller/napster-has-pointed-the-way-for-a-new-direction-for-music/) [Barry Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-diller/) > [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [There are many females in my life I couldn't function on a daily basis without who I've purposely put there that work with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-azalea/there-are-many-females-in-my-life-i-couldn-t-function-on-a-daily/) [Iggy Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-azalea/) > [need is never a good basis for any relationship. it has to be much more than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/need-is-never-a-good-basis-for-any-relationship-it-has-to-be-much/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I'm always thinking as an outsider, and I'm always mindful of whether a company can be impactful on a global basis. Frankly, I'm paranoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-rimer/i-m-always-thinking-as-an-outsider-and-i-m-always-mindful-of-whether/) [Danny Rimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-rimer/) > [My basis of morality is this: does this action enhance life, or does it denigrate life? Does it build up or does it tear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-basis-of-morality-is-this-does-this-action-enhance-life-or-does-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [There’s no basis or anything. I just have this conviction that appeared inside of me which I have to follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-mochizuki/there-s-no-basis-or-anything-i-just-have-this-conviction-that/) [Jun Mochizuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-mochizuki/) > [When my mother talked about her brother, there was this light in her eyes. I thought, 'This is the basis of a novel.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/when-my-mother-talked-about-her-brother-there-was-this-light-in-her/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [The things I cook and eat on a regular basis are really inexpensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-woodward/the-things-i-cook-and-eat-on-a-regular-basis-are-really-inexpensive/) [Ella Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-woodward/) > [“A religion can be judged only on the basis of another religion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-john-sommerville/a-religion-can-be-judged-only-on-the-basis-of-another-religion/) [C. John Sommerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-john-sommerville/) > [It is important to keep the filmmakers interested in you so they can offer you everything and anything. We actors are not given work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randeep-hooda/it-is-important-to-keep-the-filmmakers-interested-in-you-so-they-can/) [Randeep Hooda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randeep-hooda/) > [The marketing costs are insane now. So even if you've got a picture like 'Flipped' which cost under $14 million, or $13.5 million, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/the-marketing-costs-are-insane-now-so-even-if-you-ve-got-a-picture/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [Bob Smith from Brooklyn is a guy who sometimes gets hung with problems and fears. Wolfman Jack is a happy-go-lucky guy who knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfman-jack/bob-smith-from-brooklyn-is-a-guy-who-sometimes-gets-hung-with/) [Wolfman Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfman-jack/) > [This radical Islam is a religious-based ideology. And you actually have to, when you deal with the ideology, you have to attack it on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-keane/this-radical-islam-is-a-religious-based-ideology-and-you-actually/) [Jack Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-keane/) > [A group of girls didn't like me and picked on me on a daily basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-toffolo/a-group-of-girls-didn-t-like-me-and-picked-on-me-on-a-daily-basis/) [Georgia Toffolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-toffolo/) [Browse all 352 Basis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basis/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When you look at what C.S. Lewis is saying, his message is so anti-life, so cruel, so unjust. The view that the Narnia books have for the material world is one of almost undisguised contempt. At one point, the old professor says, ‘It’s all in Plato’ — meaning that the physical world we see around us is the crude, shabby, imperfect, second-rate copy of something much better. I want to emphasize the simple physical truth of things, the absolute primacy of the material life, rather than the spiritual or the afterlife. [ The New York Times interview, 2000 ]”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Pullman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-saying-his-message-is-so-anti-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Basis" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-saying-his-message-is-so-anti-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/philip-pullman-525_basis_when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-sayin_388168.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/philip-pullman-525_basis_when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-sayin_388168.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/philip-pullman-525_basis_when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-sayin_388168.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you look at what C.S. Lewis is saying, his message is so anti-life, so cruel, so unjust. The view that…” — Philip Pullman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philip Pullman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When you look at what C.S....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-saying-his-message-is-so-anti-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-saying-his-message-is-so-anti-life/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```