C.S. Lewis's 1943 'abolition of man' quoted as eerily prescient AI alignment warning
luke_drago_ · x · 2026-10-22
A post resurfaces excerpts from C.S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man, arguing he was remarkably prescient about future technology, concentration of power, and alignment untethered from ordinary people.
The highlighted passage on the "Conditioners": those who decide what 'Humanity' shall mean are not bad men — they have stepped outside the Tao entirely, where every motive becomes a petitio. Key lines: why should the Conditioners scorn delights and live laborious days so that posterity may have what they like? And: "But why should the species be preserved?" The closing line gives the book its title: "Man's final conquest has proved to be the abolition of Man."
Related event: C.S. Lewis's "The Abolition of Man" Hailed as Prophecy of AI Alignment Woes(3 posts)→
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