Armand Nicholi: Sigmund Freud & C.S. Lewis on Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life

The materialist worldview of Sigmund Freud and the spiritual worldview of C.S. Lewis offer contrasting frameworks for understanding human existence. Freud posits that religious belief is an infantile illusion born from childhood helplessness and a desire for paternal protection. Conversely, Lewis argues that faith emerges from the recognition of moral law and the subsequent despair of failing to uphold it. Both thinkers’ intellectual trajectories were shaped by complex relationships with their fathers and a deep-seated resistance to authority. Lewis’s conversion from militant atheism to theism was a gradual, intellectual process driven by his analysis of historical evidence and the nature of "joy." Beyond philosophy, contemporary medical research indicates that individuals with spiritual resources often demonstrate improved recovery rates and greater longevity, suggesting that a spiritual worldview significantly impacts both psychological well-being and physical health.