Key Takeaways:
- Fiction can be a powerful tool for understanding complex philosophical ideas and shaping our imagination to make abstract concepts more concrete.
- Dystopian novels can serve as warnings about the potential dangers of technology and its impact on humanity.
- The following seven novels offer valuable insights into the nature of humanity and the purpose of technology: That Hideous Strength, Klara and the Sun, The Mysterious Benedict Society, 1984, Brave New World, Frankenstein, and Jurassic Park.
- These novels explore themes such as the consequences of playing God, the impact of technology on human relationships, and the importance of considering the ethical implications of scientific advancements.
Introduction to Nonfiction and Fiction
Most of my reading is nonfiction, driven by necessity as an elder who teaches Sunday school and an editor at The Gospel Coalition. Nonfiction helps me explain the text better and satiates my curiosity about how the world works. However, fiction can be more helpful in gaining an understanding of complex philosophical ideas. C. S. Lewis’s essay "Bluspels and Flalansferes" highlights the importance of imagination in shaping our understanding of abstract concepts. Fiction shapes our imagination to give us metaphors that help make abstract ideas more concrete. In 2025, many contributors to Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age offered recommendations of nonfiction books to help Christians understand their relationship with technology. However, seven novels may more powerfully shape our imaginations and deepen our thinking about the nature of humanity and the purpose of technology.
The Power of Dystopian Novels
Dystopian novels can serve as warnings about the potential dangers of technology and its impact on humanity. The seven novels listed above offer valuable insights into the nature of humanity and the purpose of technology. These novels explore themes such as the consequences of playing God, the impact of technology on human relationships, and the importance of considering the ethical implications of scientific advancements. For example, C. S. Lewis’s That Hideous Strength explores the consequences of raising "men without chests" and the dangers of scientific naturalism. Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun examines the implications of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering on human relationships.
That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength is the final volume of Lewis’s Space Trilogy and is a
