Mere Mathematics: The Role of Mathematics in the Apologetic Works of C.S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century and arguably the most influential Christian author of that period. In spite of his own personal lack of success in the area of mathematics, C.S. Lewis exhibited a lofty appreciation of the discipline as demonstrated by numerous references to mathematics and to mathematical objects, and by his recurrent use of mathematical terminology in his apologetic writings. This paper will explore two broad categories of the role of mathematics in these works: 1) the relationship between mathematics and certain laws, and 2) the use of geometry and the concept of dimension. Even though Lewis could not tame the lion mathematics, he was able to appreciate and articulate the beauty and power of the discipline he never mastered, and that is true genius