The abolition of man

C.S. Lewis on education

“The head rules the belly through the chest” - C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis was a British writer, literary scholar, and lay theologian. His book, the Abolition of Man, published in 1943, is a collection of three essays that best illustrate his views on education. He argues that a proper education acknowledges the importance of emotions and being rooted in a tradition which dictates what one values and how one acts. 

Man, according to Lewis, is made up of three parts: intellect (head), appetite (belly), and emotions or sentimentality (chest). His philosophy of education is derived from the notions that "the head rules the belly through the chest." He claims, the chest makes the man, because if he was ruled by intellect, he'd be mere spirit, and if he was ruled by appetite, he'd be mere animal. Emotions are what make humans unique, and, according to Lewis, emotions are not contrary to reason.