C. S. Lewis’s Prophetic Legacy on Scientism

Intelligent Design the Future

Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture

Science, Life Sciences, Society & Culture, Philosophy, Astronomy

4.3 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 November 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

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Summary

What happens when science leaves human values behind? Or when governments become beholden to scientists? On this classic ID The Future out of the vault, we mark the 60th anniversary of the death of British writer C. S. Lewis as host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with Dr. John West about Lewis's prophetic warnings to us about science and scientism. Dr. West discusses what scientism is, what happens when science neglects deeper human truths, and how Lewis warned against the rise of technocracies. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

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0:00.0	ID the Future, a podcast about evolution and intelligent design.
0:12.0	Welcome to ID the Future. I'm your host, Andrew McDermott.
0:15.8	Today I'm pleased to welcome to the podcast, Dr. John West, to discuss British writer C.S. Lewis's prophetic legacy
0:22.8	for today regarding science. Dr. West is vice president and a senior fellow at the Discovery
0:29.0	Institute, where he serves as managing director of the Institute's Center for Science and Culture.
0:34.6	His current research examines the impact of science and scientism on public policy and culture. His current research examines the impact of science and
0:37.6	scientism on public policy and culture. Dr. West has written or edited 12 books,
0:44.0	including most recently the expanded edition of Darwin Day in America,
0:48.0	how our politics and culture have been dehumanized in the name of science.
0:52.4	The Magicians twin, C.S. Lewis on science,
0:55.2	Scientism and Society, and Walt Disney, and live action. Dr. West has also directed and written
1:01.6	several documentaries, including two on C.S. Lewis, the magician's twin, C.S. Lewis and the case
1:07.4	against scientism, and the magician's twin, C.S. Lewis, and intelligent design.
1:12.9	Dr. West, welcome to ID the Future.
1:15.2	Andrew, great to join you.
1:17.1	Well, November 22nd is an important date in world history and in the history of C.S. Lewis.
1:23.2	What happened on that date?
1:24.7	It is indeed.
1:25.8	In Dallas, Texas, John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
1:30.6	In Los Angeles, in his home, dying of cancer, Aldous Huxley, the grandson of Darwin's
1:37.6	Bulldog, Thomas Henry Huxley, and an author in his own right of one of the great dystopian novels
1:43.8	of the 20th century, Brave New World, died. And then in his own right of one of the great dystopian novels of the 20th century,
	...

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