The key theme that is evident from this book is the idea that both the traditional and the mediaeval understanding of the universe concurred on the idea that there is a supernatural being that controls the universe. This theme has come to be referred by the literary world as the theme of superstition. Many people believe that the Universe is controlled by a supernatural being that regulates nature while at the same time shapes the fate of the inhabitants of the universe. It is clear from this literary work that authors have played a great role in shaping the understanding of people with regards to the universe. For instance greater writers like Apuleius documents some of the paradigms and trends that that explained some of the ways that humans perceived of the world that they inhabited(Lewis 39). As a matter of fact, it is evident from Lewis writing in this book that religion was not one of the key issues that shaped the understanding of the world by its inhabitants.
This literary piece also brings out a couple of illustrations and illusions regarding the different perceptions that people have with regards to how they view the universe. One of the key things that are evident is that the world has some form in it. The form in which the world exists creates phenomenon whereby all the things in the world are not equal. There are things that have a greater value than others. This value is placed by humans depending on the level of utility that various things in the universe have to mankind. Consequently, humans might have been created equally as many of the religions in the universe claim. However, as thing are today, there is the notion that the socio-economic composition of human life places other humans at a higher ground than others. This perception of the universe creates some of the phenomena in the world like the presence of classism within some society and also the presence of leadership roles within the society. Scholars have come to refer this illusion as hierarchy. As much as many facets of the society tend to have some kind of order, there is a need for one to understand that there are some segments of the society that tend to exemplify the opposite the opposite of hierarchy which in this case would be anarchy. However, it is important to realize that human nature is progressive. This has created a situation whereby humans strive on a daily bases to achieve. This means that over time men who might have been considered as being positioned at the bottom of the social hierarchy are able to rise to higher levels. This means that the hierarchy that characterizes the universe is not fixed. The hierarchy is subject to change over time. This accounts for the reason why things like political hierarchies have over time been disbanded by various human instigated processes like Coup d’états and then use of democratic processes like voting.
Lewis also brings out the idea of analogy. In his concept, Lewis brings out the idea that the world is made up of small objects that at time may not be evident or perceivable by mankind. This segment of the world is known as the micro-world. The visible world is known as the macro-world. However, Lewis brings out the notion that the world cannot be comprehensive unless both the micro and macro world are in place. This brings out the illustration that every component and segment of the world is important if the world is going to be considered as being complete.
Works Cited
Lewis, C S. The Discarded image. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1964.
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