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Another literary figure who was not so sympathetic to our aims was the theologian and novelist C. S. Lewis. Although several of his best books are about space flight, he was very much opposed to the idea and attacked rocket societies because they would spread the crimes of mankind to other planets. This annoyed me, and we arranged a confrontation in a famous Oxford pub. My second was Val Cleaver, later head of the Rolls-Royce Rocket Division, and Dr Lewis was supported by Professor J. R. R. Tolkien, since famous for 'The Lord of the Rings'. We had a splendid time arguing about the merits of space travel, and as we parted Dr Lewis said, 'I am sure you are very wicked people, but how dull it would be if everyone was good.'"
// The View from Serendip, Arthur C. Clarke |