That Hideous Strength — C.S. Lewis — only a return to a humble, God-centered reality can prevent society from collapsing into a modern-day Tower of Babel

This analysis explores C.S. Lewis’s novel That Hideous Strength as a profound critique of modern scientific materialism and the dangerous desire to bypass natural moral law. The text explains how the fictional National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.) represents a demonic fusion of state power and technology aimed at the literal "abolition of man" through the destruction of traditional values and biological realities. To counter this dystopian vision, Lewis champions a sacramental and hierarchical view of the cosmos, where human flourishing is found in "Logres"—a spiritual England committed to divine order, objective truth, and the restoration of marriage and traditional authority. Ultimately, the source frames the conflict as a theological battle for the human soul, asserting that only a return to a humble, God-centered reality can prevent society from collapsing into a modern-day Tower of Babel.This podcast was created with the assistance of AI tools.