In this chapter, C.S. Lewis begins by offering a practical definition of "moral rules" as directions for running the human machine. He critiques the emphasis on moral 'ideals' and 'idealism' rather thanon moral rules and obedience, pointing out that referring to moral perfectionas an 'ideal' is misleading. It implies a level of perfection unreachable by humans and dangerously suggests that moral perfection is subject to individual 'private taste.' Lewis argues that while perfect behavior may be unattainable,it is necessary for all humans by virtue of their nature.

Lewis uses two analogies to illustrate the three parts ofmorality: a fleet of ships sailing in formation and a band of musicians. Inboth cases, rules are necessary to prevent collisions; each ship or instrumentmust be in good condition; and they must head in the right direction or, in thecase of the band, play the right music. Similarly, morality concerns threethings: firstly, fair play and harmony between individuals; secondly, tidyingup the internal state of each individual; and thirdly, the general purpose ofhuman life as a whole—what humans were made for.

He notes that modern discussions about morality tend tofocus only on the first aspect—interpersonal relations—while neglecting theother two. He emphasizes that without addressing the second aspect—internalself-regulation—we are only deceiving ourselves. To support this, he arguesthat “nothing but the courage and unselfishness of individuals is ever going tomake any system work properly”, and “ it is easy to remove the particular kindsof graft or bullying that go on under that present system: but as long as menare twisters or bullies, they will find new way of carrying on the old game”.

Lastly, he challenges the modern popular notion that "Ican do whatever I want to myself as long as I don't hurt others," byasserting that we do not belong to ourselves. We were made by God and belong toHim, and therefore, we do not have the right to do whatever we want withourselves.

In summary, Lewis discusses three aspects of morality: therelationships between individuals, the internal condition of each person, andthe relationship between humans and God.

My comments:

Lewis clarifies the three parts of morality: namely, therelations between humans; tidying up inside each individual; and relationshipsbetween man and God. He points out that in his time, when people talked aboutmorality, they tended to refer only to the first part, while ignoring the othertwo. I am surprised to realize that this is even more prevalent today, as we(at least I) tend to think morality means only how we treat others before Iread this chapter. 本章Lewis阐述了道德的三个部分：即人与人之间的关系；整理每个人内心的秩序；以及人与上帝之间的关系。他指出，在他那个时代，当人们谈论道德时，热门往往只提到第一部分，而忽略了另外两部分。我惊讶地意识到，这种情形在今天更为普遍，因为在读这章之前，至少我还倾向于认为道德仅仅意味着我们如何对待他人。