Mere Education: C.S. Lewis as Teacher for Our Time

C.S. Lewis was a 'prophetic' teacher and believed education should cultivate human virtue as well as academic merit. Mere Education shows how such excellence may be nurtured by applying Lewis's educational vision to a range of current policies and practices of critical importance for parents, teachers and leaders. Drawing upon both well-known and less familiar fiction and non-fiction by this remarkable teacher, Mark A. Pike shows the beliefs and values Lewis perceived to be foundational for protecting schooling from an incoming tide of ideological assumptions that erode excellence. The result is a much-needed reappraisal of modern education. Dr Mark A. Pike is Reader in Educational Values and Pedagogy, University of Leeds. ' "Mere Education" is a well-argued and highly readable book that recognizes the centrality of character in schooling. It will command attention on both sides of the Atlantic and like all of Pike's work, will be of interest to educators from a wide range of backgrounds. It offers a refreshing vision of education, a bracing statement of faith, a much-needed challenge to the political correctness of our age, and a compelling testimony to the timelessness of the truths that Lewis set forth with such clarity and cogency.' Thomas Lickona, Professor of Education, State University of New York at Cortland; author of 'Character Matters and Educating for Character'. 'C.S. Lewis, celebrated Christian apologist and children's author, is here claimed as Christian educator. For some this positioning of Lewis will be truly prophetic.' Revd Canon Professor Leslie J Francis, Professor of Religions and Education, University of Warwick. 'Mark A. Pike's "Mere Education" reveals how Lewis defended the important moral, political and intellectual virtues we share as human beings, but also wisely identified the distinct contributions Christianity can and must make to a philosophy of education that completes a robust vision of human flourishing. In light of current educational trends, Lewis proves an invaluable critic, guide, and prophet.' Perry L. Glanzer, Professor of Educational Foundations, Baylor University. 'This remarkable book not only provides the first systematic study of C.S. Lewis's thinking about education, derived from his extensive output of novels, letters and other prose writings, but does so in a way that highlights its relevance to contemporary schooling.' J. Mark Halstead, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Huddersfield. 'Inspirational, inclusive, challenging, and potentially transformative, this book offers a healthy discussion towards holistic liberal education.' Monika B. Hilder, Associate Professor of English, Trinity Western University, author of 'The Feminine Ethos in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia', 'The Gender Dance', and 'Surprised by the Feminine'.