Miracles by C.S. Lewis

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Miracles is not an easy book to read. I enjoyed it, I’m glad I read it and I even learned from it, but it was hard to grasp everything Lewis was trying to say. It was written more like a textbook on philosophy and reasoned thinking than an apologetic (which it most certainly was) and I found the going rough.

If I had to sum it up, I would say that Lewis’ goal is to guard us against “Naturalist” thinking, which he successfully argues is unreasonable. He defends Christianity by comparing it to all other options — atheism, theism, dualism and even other religions — and shows, in one chapter particularly successfully, how Christianity is the only Philosophy that accounts for both reasoned thinking and evidence — that is, experience.

My gripe is that Lewis tends to go off on tangents, and in this book he did so more than any others I have read. He’ll consider something which is thought provoking though not essential to the thrust of the argument, and then he will follow the rabbit hole to its ultimate end, dozens of pages later. This is very thorough, which would make it a great book for study, but it is a rough tactic when the reader is wanting a low-​hanging fruit, as I was.

I recommend Miracles for thinking people who place reasonableness and good sense on very high pedestals, and are eager to scrutinize every aspect of every argument pertaining to the possibility of miracles.

Classy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About Oxhorn I’m an author, songwriter and movie-​maker who lives in Seattle, WA. I earned my BA in history from the University of Washington and have been interested in arguments, reasoning, research, writing and history ever since. I’m best known for my animated comedy machinima movies and music which you can find at oxhorn​.com. Visit brandonMdennis​.com for more about me, and be sure to subscribe, follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Watch my weekly live show, Scotch & Smoke Rings, at 7:00 PM Pacific for more classiness.