The Abolition of Man

To conclude the book, Lewis presents an appendix consisting of a table of moral rules from various world cultures, with a brief preface. These rules illustrate that different cultures and societies share a basic agreement about morality. Lewis stresses that the list is not exhaustive, nor is it meant to represent independent testimonies to the Tao. In fact, Lewis sees the list as indicative of his conviction that only one primordial human civilization has ever existed; other civilizations exist because they have branched off of this original human civilization.

The moral concepts covered in this collection of rules include:

• Beneficence, toward people in general and toward specific persons
• Duties to parents, elders, ancestors, spouse, children, posterity
• Justice
• Honesty and truthfulness
• Mercy
• Magnanimity