Bulverism

Another insightful essay by C.S. Lewis is entitled God in the Dock: "Bulverism." Lewis goes into deep detail describing a phenomenon that flourished in the 20th century (and which I think continues to flourish.) Lewis names this phenomenon "Bulverism," after a character which originated in Lewis' imagination named Ezekiel Bulver. Because I think the idea of Bulverism comes out the most clearly in Lewis' description of this fictitious character, I will quote his account here:

"...Ezekiel Bulver, whose destiny was determined at the age of five when he heard his mother say to his father - who had been maintaining that two sides of a triangle were together greater than the third - 'Oh, you say that because you are a man.' 'At that moment,' E. Bulver assures us, 'there flashed across my opening mind the great truth that refutation is no necessary part of argument. Assume your opponent is wrong, and then explain his error, and the world will be at your feet. Attempt to prove that he is wrong or (worse still) try to find out whether he is wrong or right, and the national dynamism of our age will thrust you to the wall.'"

Basically, the idea of Bulverism is to ignore proper reasoning, ignore the real argument, and instead focus attention on the character, motives, etc. of the person making the argument. This is improper, and is not conducive to arriving at the right conclusions. Instead, it ignites the fires of self-defense in the core of the person who is being so "Bulverized," and so they attack right back in a similar manner.

This method of arguing is so unloving, and yet every man, women, boy, and girl is guilty of it. Bulverism, at its root, is the forcing down of others so that they themselves can be promoted. Christ, however, commands that we use a different method of discussion in Matthew 22: 37-40 (KJV):

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

The "law and the prophets" refers to God's will for us His people. It commands that we promote our neighbor, not ourselves. Those who Bulverize (which is all of humanity by nature) can in no way live according to this commandment. Let us instead listen to each other in love, and guide our discussions by means of the Scripture, looking to our Father for the grace we need to do this.