By his own admission, Lewis intended That Hideous Strength to have a very similar message to his nonfiction work The Abolition of Man. In that set of essays, Lewis argues modern educational practice is shaping children (and therefore adults) to disbelieve in any kind of objectivity, locating value judgements merely in the subjective and relegating truth to a myth. Through the application of these principles to scientific progressivism, Lewis demonstrates the folly of continuing this erosion of objectivity. In the future, he believes, science will progress and develop to the point of complete control over Nature, but the Controllers who are entrusted with this scientific power must remain detached from objectivity (the Tao) and therefore may not participate in whatever remains of humanity, being slaves to their whims and passions without the influence of the mediation between the intellect and viscerality. This will result in Man’s conquest of Nature turning into Nature’s conquest of Man.
This future is the one Ransom and his St. Anne’s cohort are fighting against. The N.I.C.E. represents the embodiment of this progressive worldview, as it has no regard for morality, only the pragmatic advancement of science resulting in control over mankind. The N.I.C.E.’s obsession with power and control is obvious from their attempts to resurrect Merlin the wizard and convert him to their organization, as well as their successful military takeover of the town of Edgestow. Their private police force enforces their ultimatums, and their goal is complete domination. If they achieve their ends, they will have complete power over humanity in the same way that Lewis warns against.
Dr. Ransom and the others at St. Anne’s, however, fight against this fate in the name of truth and goodness. Ransom, having been to Malacandra (Mars) and Perelandra (Venus), has interacted with Oyeresu (archangels) and knows the universal truths about Maleldil (Jesus) and His sacrifice. He therefore becomes the Director of the resistance on Earth, fighting to reclaim the planet from the Bent One (Satan, otherwise known as the Black Archon), who seems to have possessed the disembodied head of the French scientist Alcasan, who is quite literally the head of the N.I.C.E. Ransom has somehow also become the heir of King Arthur from English legend, and he consequently has command over Merlin, who joins their forces in the fight against evil after having evaded the grip of the N.I.C.E.
Ransom’s group at St. Anne’s seems to represent the duty of the Christian in today’s modern world, in Lewis’s view. Knowing the perils of progressive materialism, Christians should take an active role in combating its deadly effects. Goodness will eventually triumph in the world, but it will require a substantial effort to counteract the efforts of the Black Archon.
