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Spring 2008
ISSN 0890-913X
Volume 23, Number 2

Economic Science and the Poverty of Naturalism: C. S. Lewis's "Argument from Reason"

David J. Theroux, The Independent Institute
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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise23(2),2008,95-112EconomicScienceandthePovertyofNaturalism:C.S.Lewis's"ArgumentfromReason"DavidJ.TherouxTheIndependentInstituteAbstractManyofthesciences(includingeconomics)havebeendominatedbyanaturalistworldviewthatgenerallyassumesthattheuniverseandlifearepurposelessandthatmankindissimplyamorecomplex,materialversionofeverythingelseinthenaturalworld.TherenownedscholarandauthorC.S.Lewisoffersanimportantlinkwiththeworkofeconomistswhohaveseenscholars'embraceofpositivismandscientismascontrarytothedevelopmentofknowledgeregardinghumanaction.Inexaminingnaturalism,Lewisshowsthatmaterial"facts"alonecannotprovideanyconclusionswithoutsomeindependentbasistoevaluatesuchdata.HeclaimsthattheanalysisofanyworldrequirestheexistenceofscientistswhoseviewsarenotmechanicallydeterminedbytheworldtheyareexaminingInsodoing,Lewisclearlyunderstandsthatreason,freewill,andindividualchoicearenotillusions;theyareintrinsicandobjectivetruthsnonnegotiablepresuppositionsuponwhichhumaninquiryandeconomicsciencerest.Suchunderstandingnecessitatesatheisticdualismofbothamaterialandimmaterial,naturalandsupernatural,physicalandmetaphysicalreality.I.IntroductionFormanyyears,thenaturalandsocialsciences(includingeconomics)havebeendominatedbythenaturalistworldviewthattheuniverseandlifearepurposelessandthathumankindissimplyamorecomplexversionofeverythingelseinthematerialworld.Inotherwords,anindividualhumanisnomoreandnolessthanasystemOfmolecularprocessesdeterminedbyphysicallaws.Inthissystem,allhumanendeavorsandideasaretheproductofamechanistic,causalprocessofphysicalevents.Althoughprobablybestknownforhisfiction,OxbridgeUniversityscholarC.S.Lewisalsoexaminesthenaturalistworldviewandmakesthecasethatmaterial"facts"alonecannotprovideany95
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