The Taste for the Other: The Social and Ethical Thought of C.S. Lewis

“A deeply meditated study of C.S. Lewis as a social philosopher. It does him good service. Avoiding unnecesaary biographical data, Meilaender concentrates rigoursly on Lewis’ writings in an attempt to ‘get at the heart of [his] vision of human community and his understanding of morality’ . . . A discriminating work with an intricate structure well suited to the subject.” -Modern Language Review “Meilaender’s first-class scholarly study of Lewis’s social and ethical thought is also a fine commentary on his anthropology . . . A well-written interpretation of the man who has probably had more influence on the theology of thoughtful Christians in the twentieth century than all the church’s professional theologians.” -Choice “Meilaender is a master exegete and critic of Lewis’ dialectical vision in all its rich concreteness . . . This work must now stand as our best guide to Lewis’s thought.” -Christian Century “A remarkably complete look at Lewis’s thought.” -New Oxford Review “Combining solid scholarship with literary imagination, Meilaender does what Lewis himself does: he fascinates readers and draws them unawares into serious thought and into reflection requiring a response. . . . A first-rate study of Lewis that can serve also as an introduction to a serious study of all of Lewis’s works.” -Religious Studies Review “A book that has been needed for a long time. Meilaender brings to his study not only an in-depth knowledge of philosophy and theology but also a keen literary awareness. . . . A gracefully readable, luminously clear book.” -Christianity and Literature GILBERT MEILAENDER is the Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Professor of Christian Ethics at Valparaiso University. His most recent book is Bioethics: A Primer for Christians (Eerdmans).