C.S. Lewis Rejected Eugenics
Lewis wrote many times warning the world about Scientism, a de facto religion where science is salvation for humanity. He also opposed evolution despite how some people claim he as a theistic evolutionist. Not as widely known is his resistance to eugenics.
Francis Galton was a cousin of Charles Darwin. He took Charlie's Victorian evolution fantasy further by developing eugenics. The word means well born or good genes, and is a natural extension of evolution; the best people should survive and reproduce, the inferior people should be forbidden from reproducing, including through forced sterilization. Abortion is a big part of eugenics — which should come as no surprise. America imported the English philosophy enthusiastically, and it had popularity in the 1920s. A few years later, Germany tried to help evolution along...
We are our own creators and saviors according to these things, no need for God. C.S. Lewis should not be looked to as a source of sound theology, but the alarms he sounded about eugenics, Scientism, and evolution are theologically and morally sound.
C. S. Lewis is often an unrecognized voice in opposing eugenics. Often studied solely for his critique of scientism, the accompanying philosophy and practice of eugenics also greatly shaped his writings, from apologetics to fiction. With the understanding that eugenics involves the intentional “improvement” of the human race, three historical observations from the early 1900s give some background to this practice. First, the thought of the Western world as a whole leaned strongly in favor of the implementation of eugenics. Second, the landmark decision of Buck v. Bell in America allowed for the enforced sterilization of those deemed mentally unfit. Lastly, the Nazi regime went even further by carrying out an aggressive eugenics program on a racial level. With this understanding of what eugenics means in theory and practice, Lewis’ philosophical, ethical, and theological arguments against it lay an important groundwork for both refuting the philosophy of eugenics as well as applying a Christian worldview to practices today: gene editing and abortion. Both practices carry similarities to eugenics and warrant critical inspection from Christians. As such, though studied by few scholars in light of his objections to eugenics, Lewis is an invaluable source when considering science today.
To continue reading, see "C. S. Lewis’ Critique of Eugenics."