The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life

Armand M. Nicholi

Free Press, Jul 29, 2003 - Philosophy - 304 pages

Throughout the ages, many of the world's greatest thinkers have wrestled with the concept of -- and belief in -- God. It may seem unlikely that any new arguments or insights could be raised, but the twentieth century managed to produce two brilliant men with two diametrically opposed views about the question of God: Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis. They never had an actual meeting, but in The Question of God, their arguments are placed side by side for the very first time.

For more than twenty-five years, Armand Nicholi has taught a course at Harvard that compares the philosophical arguments of both men. In The Question of God, Dr. Nicholi presents the writings and letters of Lewis and Freud, allowing them to "speak" for themselves on the subject of belief and disbelief. Both men considered the problem of pain and suffering, the nature of love and sex, and the ultimate meaning of life and death -- and each of them thought carefully about the alternatives to their positions.

The inspiration for the PBS series of the same name, The Question of God does not presuppose which man -- Freud the devout atheist or Lewis the atheist-turned-believer -- is correct in his views. Rather, readers are urged to join Nicholi and his students and decide for themselves which path to follow.

What people are saying

Review: The Question of God: CS Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life

User Review  - Lyf - Goodreads

I wanted to give this a higher rating because it was very well put together and the contrasts were interesting and very engaging. However, it just ended up feeling a little one-sided and tedious after a while. Still, worth a read if you have the time.

Review: The Question of God: CS Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life

User Review  - Amy - Goodreads

SO excited about this one. Taking all my willpower not to skip homework and just read it right now...

About the author

Armand M. Nicholi, Jr., M.D., serves on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School and the staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital. His research has focused on late adolescence, and his investigation of college dropouts is the first large-scale epidemological study of that age group.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life
• Author: Armand M. Nicholi
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Free Press, 2003
• ISBN: 074324785X, 9780743247856
• Length: 304 pages
• Subjects: Philosophy / General; Philosophy / Religious; Religion / Philosophy