A comparison of the writings of Plato and C.S. Lewis reveals a common idea that human love is not sufficient for man. An examination of Plato’s Symposium and Lewis’s Till We Have Faces and The Four Loves, in particular, shows that both writers illustrate that man must ascend the ladder of love in order to meet the source of all love: Divine Love. Concerned with man’s innate needs and ethics, both Plato and Lewis argue that there is a universal principle of goodness known to all men of all cultures. Lewis argues, especially in The Abolition of Man, that man must cling to the traditional notion that a sense of right and wrong is inherent in all men. Illustrated in the measurably modified version of the Cupid and Psyche myth retold in Till We Have Faces, Lewis reveals that man’s natural relationships cannot satisfy his yearning for the union with beauty and truth found only in a supernatural relationship with Divine Love: God. Similar to Plato’s thought recorded in his dialogues, Lewis projects in most of his writings the argument that man cannot find the good life until he seeks the virtuous life that leads to harmony with men and joy found in the presence of God.
","abstract_html":"<p>A comparison of the writings of Plato and C.S. Lewis reveals a common idea that human love is not sufficient for man. An examination of Plato’s Symposium and Lewis’s Till We Have Faces and The Four Loves, in particular, shows that both writers illustrate that man must ascend the ladder of love in order to meet the source of all love: Divine Love. Concerned with man’s innate needs and ethics, both Plato and Lewis argue that there is a universal principle of goodness known to all men of all cultures. Lewis argues, especially in The Abolition of Man, that man must cling to the traditional notion that a sense of right and wrong is inherent in all men. Illustrated in the measurably modified version of the Cupid and Psyche myth retold in Till We Have Faces, Lewis reveals that man’s natural relationships cannot satisfy his yearning for the union with beauty and truth found only in a supernatural relationship with Divine Love: God. Similar to Plato’s thought recorded in his dialogues, Lewis projects in most of his writings the argument that man cannot find the good life until he seeks the virtuous life that leads to harmony with men and joy found in the presence of God.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Case, Laura"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Department of Philosophy & Religion","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["James Heldman"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1975,"date_issued":"1975-07-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"1975-07-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:08:39Z","subjects":["Western Kentucky University","Humanities","English","Ancient Philosophy","Christianity","Classics","English Language and Literature","Literature in English, British Isles","Religion","Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1379","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["James Heldman"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Case, Laura"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Philosophy & Religion"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Western Kentucky University","Humanities","English","Ancient Philosophy","Christianity","Classics","English Language and Literature","Literature in English, British Isles","Religion","Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1379"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["A comparison of the writings of Plato and C.S. Lewis reveals a common idea that human love is not sufficient for man. An examination of Plato’s Symposium and Lewis’s Till We Have Faces and The Four Loves, in particular, shows that both writers illustrate that man must ascend the ladder of love in order to meet the source of all love: Divine Love. Concerned with man’s innate needs and ethics, both Plato and Lewis argue that there is a universal principle of goodness known to all men of all cultures. Lewis argues, especially in The Abolition of Man, that man must cling to the traditional notion that a sense of right and wrong is inherent in all men. Illustrated in the measurably modified version of the Cupid and Psyche myth retold in Till We Have Faces, Lewis reveals that man’s natural relationships cannot satisfy his yearning for the union with beauty and truth found only in a supernatural relationship with Divine Love: God. Similar to Plato’s thought recorded in his dialogues, Lewis projects in most of his writings the argument that man cannot find the good life until he seeks the virtuous life that leads to harmony with men and joy found in the presence of God.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Human Love and Divine Love: The Platonic Matrix in C.S. Lewis"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["James Heldman"],"dc:creator":["Case, Laura"],"dc:description.abstract":["A comparison of the writings of Plato and C.S. Lewis reveals a common idea that human love is not sufficient for man. An examination of Plato’s Symposium and Lewis’s Till We Have Faces and The Four Loves, in particular, shows that both writers illustrate that man must ascend the ladder of love in order to meet the source of all love: Divine Love. Concerned with man’s innate needs and ethics, both Plato and Lewis argue that there is a universal principle of goodness known to all men of all cultures. Lewis argues, especially in The Abolition of Man, that man must cling to the traditional notion that a sense of right and wrong is inherent in all men. Illustrated in the measurably modified version of the Cupid and Psyche myth retold in Till We Have Faces, Lewis reveals that man’s natural relationships cannot satisfy his yearning for the union with beauty and truth found only in a supernatural relationship with Divine Love: God. Similar to Plato’s thought recorded in his dialogues, Lewis projects in most of his writings the argument that man cannot find the good life until he seeks the virtuous life that leads to harmony with men and joy found in the presence of God.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1379"],"dc:subject":["Western Kentucky University","Humanities","English","Ancient Philosophy","Christianity","Classics","English Language and Literature","Literature in English, British Isles","Religion","Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion"],"dc:title":["Human Love and Divine Love: The Platonic Matrix in C.S. Lewis"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Philosophy & Religion"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:08:39Z"}