“In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. Both astonishing and prophetic, this books is one of the most debated of Lewis’s extraordinary works.”

In a 1993 talk, Peter Kreeft, professor of philosophy at Boston College, mentioned the following as the 6 books people should read if they want to save Western civilization:

1. The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis

From the front flap of the 2015 HarperOne edition:

“In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. Both astonishing and prophetic, this books is one of the most debated of Lewis’s extraordinary works. National Review chose it as number seven on their ‘100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century.’”

A quote from the book:

“In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”

2. Lost in the Cosmos, by Walker Percy

From the Amazon.com review:

“The late Walker Percy’s mordant contribution to the self-help book craze of the 1980s deals with the heavy abstraction of the Western mind and speculates about why writers may be the most abstracted and least grounded of all.”

A quote from the book:

“You live in a deranged age – more deranged than usual, because despite great scientific and technological advances, man has not the faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing.”

3. Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis

From the front flap of the 2015 HarperOne edition:

“One of the most popular introductions to Christian faith ever written, Mere Christianity has sold millions of copies worldwide. The book brings together C.S. Lewis’s legendary broadcast talks of the war years, talks in which he set out simply to ‘explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times.’ Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity’s many denominations, Lewis provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.”

A quote from the book:

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”

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