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

Armand Nicholi

ISBN 10: 074324785X / ISBN 13: 9780743247856

Published by Free Press, 2003

About this Item

For all the variety of specific religious beliefs, there are fundamentally only two kinds of people: believers and non-believers. In the 20th century, no spokesman was more prominent for non-belief than Sigmund Freud, and nobody argued for belief more successfully than C.S. Lewis. Indeed, their arguments are remarkably parallel, and equally wide-ranging. From pain and suffering to love and sex, from God to morality, Lewis and Freud carefully argued opposing positions. After years of studying both men, and teaching a popular course at Harvard comparing the two, renowned psychiatrist and educator Armand Nicholi has gone public. Nicholi is a guide to the Great Debate, letting each man speak clearly and concisely. Drawing on published and unpublished sources, including wide access to Freud's letters, Nicholi offers a gem of a book that strikes at the deepest chords in our souls.

Seller Inventory # CIN074324785XG

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life
• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 074324785X
• ISBN 13: 9780743247856
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

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.

About the Author

Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr. is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He has an active practice as a psychiatrist and serves as a consultant to government groups, corporations, and professional athletes. He is married, with two children, and lives in Concord, Massachusetts.