The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life

By Armand M. Nicholi Jr. and Jr. Nicholi, Armand M.

Book Overview

Throughout the ages, many of the world's greatest thinkers have wrestled with the concept of -- and belief in -- God. It may seem unlikely that any new arguments or insights could be raised, but the twentieth century managed to produce two brilliant men with two diametrically opposed views about the question of God: Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis. They never had an actual meeting, but in The Question of God, their arguments are placed side by side for the very first time.
For more than twenty-five years, Armand Nicholi has taught a course at Harvard that compares the philosophical arguments of both men. In The Question of God, Dr. Nicholi presents the writings and letters of Lewis and Freud, allowing them to "speak" for themselves on the subject of belief and disbelief. Both men considered the problem of pain and suffering, the nature of love and sex, and the ultimate meaning of life and death -- and each of them thought carefully about the alternatives to their positions.
The inspiration for the PBS series of the same name, The Question of God does not presuppose which man -- Freud the devout atheist or Lewis the atheist-turned-believer -- is correct in his views. Rather, readers are urged to join Nicholi and his students and decide for themselves which path to follow.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074324785X
• ISBN13: 9780743247856
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 295 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating examination of two extraordinary thinkers

Nicholi's The Question of God illuminates in an extraordinary way how two of the great minds of recent history explored the most intriguing questions in life, perhaps the only ones that really matter. Nicholi sets up a fictional debate of sorts that pits Freud, espousing a secular worldview, against Lewis's spiritual one. The dialogue is riveting. Using excerpts from the volumes of written material the two men produced over their lifetimes, Nicholi skillfully culls passages that give insight into how each man struggled with the "great questions" of life and how each ultimately developed and then embraced his own definition of truth. It's interesting to note other reviews of this book as biased towards Lewis since Nicholi is widely known as being psychoanalytically trained. I found the book the well balanced with the author as adroit facilitator.

A Lively Debate

I really enjoyed reading this clearly-written, extensively documented book on two of the twentieth century's greatest thinkers. Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis have to be the most articulate representatives of their completely opposite world views. Who would have surmised that their writings and lives would parallel one another so closely in their search to understand God, love, sex, happiness, suffering, death (and the meaning of life as the title says!)? The author quotes extensively from both, using their works, letters, and the current literature to define, on the one hand Freud's empiricist, scientific view, and on the other C.S. Lewis' spiritual perspective. He devotes an entire chapter to Lewis' remarkable change from die-hard atheist to ardent believer. Through Freud's correspondence, we see the great psychoanalyst as human, struggling with the same issues as Lewis, but ultimately arriving at a completely different conclusion. Nicholi also brings in his own research as well as that of others to shed light on their world views, making them relevant in the here and now.If you're looking for a lively debate on some central topics, this book is for you!