Book I: Chapter 4 What Lies Behind the Law Summary and Analysis

Materialism and spiritualism are two opposite ways of interpreting existence which have been discussed and argued ever since thinking people began wondering how the universe came to be. Lewis explains materialism in the classic sense—the universe has always been, and mathematical principles of chance, also known as probability, brought about humankind. On the other hand, and dovetailing with Lewis's premise about the Law of Nature, spiritualism maintains that a consciousness brought the universe into existence with a clear purpose of creating other consciousnesses similar to its own. Where materialism does not presuppose a consciousness above the universe, spiritualism does.

Lewis builds his case for spiritualism by analogy. The architect of a house is evidenced by the existence of the house, but the architect is not...