Lewis identifies the one sin that all other vices feed from — and argues it is the one we are least likely to spot in ourselves.

Discussion Questions

6 questions

1.Lewis identifies Pride as the great sin — the root of every other vice. He says it is essentially competitive: we are not proud of having something so much as proud of having *more* of it than the next person. Do you find this competitive dimension in your own experience of pride?

2.He makes the strong claim that Pride is the one vice that no one in the world is free of, and it is the one vice that makes us incapable of knowing God. How does Pride specifically get between us and God — and between us and other people?

a.Lewis says that the more pride you have, the more you dislike it in others. Have you noticed this? What does it reveal?

b.He says the devil is perfectly content for us to be brave, honest, and kind — as long as we are proud of it. How does pride corrupt every other virtue?

3.Lewis distinguishes between the 'warm glow' of satisfaction in a job well done (which is not Pride) and the cold pleasure of looking down on others (which is). Where does legitimate self-respect end and Pride begin?

4.He argues that the test of Humility is not feeling lowly — it is not thinking about yourself at all. What does this imply about the practice of humility? How is this different from self-deprecation or low self-esteem?

5.Lewis connects Pride directly to the fall of Satan and the original sin of humanity: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. How does this give pride a theological weight that goes beyond mere social unpleasantness?

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