Week 12: Appendix — Note on the Painlessness of the Un-fallen World

1.The appendix returns to the argument of Chapter 2 (Divine Omnipotence) and asks whether the un-fallen world — before sin entered — was free from pain. What is Lewis's position, and why does he think it matters for the overall argument?

2.Lewis suggests that in the un-fallen state, even physical processes that would cause pain to fallen humans might have had a different quality — not because the body was different in structure, but because the will and spirit that inhabited it were oriented correctly. How speculative is this claim, and does it need to be precise to do the work Lewis needs it to do?

3.The appendix raises the question of whether 'pain' is always a signal of disorder, or whether it can exist in a world of pure order as something more like information without suffering. Can you think of analogies from your own experience — sensations that carry important information without being experienced as suffering?