First and Last Platypi:The Platypus Reads Part LXIV

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A friend loaned me a copy of the 1931 sci-fi epic "First and Last Men," by British Philosopher Olaf Stapledon. I knew Lewis had read and disagreed with Stapledon so, naturally, I was intrigued. A look at the work, however, points me in the dirrection that Lewis not only disagreed with him, he wrote his Ransom Trilogy, in part, as a sort of refutation of Stapledon. Perhaps that's not news, but it makes a read of "First and Last Men" fascinating. If you've already read the Ransom Trilogy, then you can almost here Lewis dailoging with the author as you read the book.

As an odd end note, I attended a debate on bioethics last friday. Listening to the speakers, it seems as if, after almost eighty years, the debate hasn't changed.

Comments

Joi said…
Glad you're enjoying it! Definitely one of my favorite books, and very interesting to see what Lewis pulls from it.

And on a totally unrelated topic... http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/24/anti-cthulhu-psa-for.html
11:27 PM
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