A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
Looking for God-or Heaven-by exploring space is like reading or seeing all Shakespeare's plays in the hope that you will find Shakespeare as one of the characters.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Searching for a transcendent being in the universe is misguided, similar to expecting to find an author among their characters.
C. S. Lewis illustrates the folly of looking for God or Heaven in the vastness of space, suggesting that such exploration will not reveal the divine. Instead, itβs akin to reading Shakespeare's works with the expectation of encountering Shakespeare himself, indicating that the author and their characters inhabit different realms of existence.
Themes
GodHeavenExplorationPhilosophySpace
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a lecture on philosophy to illustrate the relationship between belief and understanding.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes βI enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
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