See also: Weil

Simone Weil (Paris, the February 3rd 1909 - Ashford, the August 24th 1943) is a Philosophe French E, sister of the Mathématicien André Weil.

Biography

Simone Weil was born in 1909 in a family of Jewish origin. Raise of Alain (Emile Chartier), it enters to the National university, passes the aggregation of philosophy in 1931 and begins a career of teaching in various colleges.

It spends a few weeks to Germany to the whole beginning of the year thirty; on its return, with much of clearness, it expresses in several articles what was likely to arrive there. Giving up its career of teaching temporarily, in 1934 and 1935, it is worker at Renault and in 1941 agricultural working in order to be able " to speak about the working cause " with full knowledge of the facts; .

Its bad health prevents it from continuing the factory work. It starts again to teach, and gives most of its incomes to people in the need. Interdependent of the working trade unions, it joint in 1935 with the strike movement general against unemployment and the falls of wages. In 1937, she collaborates in the Nouveaux books , re-examined economic and political defending a Franco-German economic collaboration.

Initially Pacifist radical, then revolutionary Trade unionist, it pleads finally for a “revolutionary Réformisme”: the weak ones are oppressed too much to have even the will to revolt, and yet it is necessary that it is themselves which take in hand their revolution. It is thus necessary already to create less oppressive conditions by projections reformists, for then allowing a responsible, less precipitated and less violent revolution.

Trade unionist of teaching, it favorable to the trade-union unification and is written in the review the émancipée School . Communist anti Stalinist, it does not take part as from 1932 in the democratic communist Cercle of Boris Souvarine, which it knew via Nicolas Lazarévitch. She works a few months machines some to study in her flesh the working condition, and implies herself in the general strike of 1936. She militates with passion for a intransigent Pacifisme, but engages in the Colonne Durruti at the time of the Spanish Civil war to fight the Coup d'etat of Franco. Although republican, it interposes then to prevent that a pro-Franco priest is wrongfully shot.

Seriously burned after being itself reversed ebullient oil on the foot, it must set out again rather quickly for the France, without to have drawn a shot.

Jewish, lucid on what occurs in Europe, it is without illusion on what the threat, it and its family, at the beginning of the war.

When in 1940 it is obliged to flee Paris and to take refuge with Marseilles, it writes without stopping to expose in extreme pages a philosophy which wants to be project of reconciliation (painful) between Modernité and Christian Tradition , often read through the prism of the Greek Humanisme which it keeps for compass. In 1942, it takes along his/her parents in safety to the the United States, but, refusing a statute which it feels too comfortable in these times of storms, it goes in Great Britain, more close to the theater of the operations and works as writer in the services of the free France. Its intransigence disturbs. She resigns of the organization of the Général de Gaulle in July 1943.

This final period of its short life is that where it meets the Christ, where, like it says it itself, Christ seizes it. But this faith will not accept compromisings of the Église with violence and will oblige it to remain with its door until the end of its life, when it is made baptize in a state of unconsciousness, and against its will. Christian woman, putting questions embarrassing with the Christians, it will be refuted by historians of the Church who will show it not to have included/understood well the history of the Church.

This dimension of the refusal of the force, which it compares to violence, is a constant of the thought of Simone Weil. Although it had initially a mitigated perception of the Non-violence of Gandhi, that it judged more reformist that revolutionist, it will meet in particular several times Lanza del Vasto at the end of its life.

Reached tuberculosis, it dies of an cardiac arrest to the sanatorium of Ashford, in 1943. Anxious to share the living conditions of occupied France, it is disappointed by the refusal of the entourage of De Gaulle (Schuman, Cavallès, André Philippe), to let it join the resistance networks. Indeed, it quickly would probably have been captured by the German police force, identified like Jewish and thus probably off-set. Following this refusal, she considers that its life is meaningless and is voluntarily underfed, which worsens its health condition.

Its most important works all are appeared after its death.

Quotations

• “ the Church makes an abuse of power when she claims to force the love and the intelligence to take her language for standard. This abuse of power does not proceed of God. It comes from the natural tendency of any community, without exception, with the abuses of power. ” Waiting of God.

• “ If we keep unceasingly presents to the spirit the thought of a true human order, if we think of it as with an object to which one owes the total sacrifice when the opportunity arises, we will be in the situation of a man which goes in the night without guide, but by unceasingly thinking of the direction that he wants to follow. For such a traveller, there is a great hope ”

• “ We have the every day under the eyes the example of the universe, where an infinity of independent mechanical actions contribute to constitute an order which, through the variations, remains fixed. Also we like the beauty of the world, because we feel behind it the presence of something of analog to the wisdom which we want to have to appease our desire of the good. ”

• “ To help France to find at the bottom of its misfortune an inspiration conforms to its genius and the present needs for the men in distress. To spread this inspiration, once found or at least interview, throughout the world ”

• “ the single source of hello and size for France, it is to renew contact with its genius at the bottom of its misfortune ” the rooting (1949)

• “ I cannot meet an Indochinese, an Algerian, a Morrocan, without wanting to ask him for forgiveness. Forgiveness for all the pains, all humiliations that one made him suffer, that one made suffer with their people. Because their oppressor, it is the French State. He thus does it in the name of all French, also, for a small share, on my behalf. ” historical and political Writings.

• “ the extreme size of Christianity comes from what he does not seek a supernatural remedy against the suffering, but a supernatural use of the suffering ”

• “ Never to in no case I will not agree to judge suitable for one of my similar, whatever it is, which I consider morally intolerable for myself. ” the working Condition (1951)

• “ Of the identical obligations binds all the human beings, although they correspond to different acts according to the situations. No human being, whatever it is, in any circumstance, can from it be withdrawn without crime; except whenever, two real obligations being in fact incompatible, a man is constrained to give up one of them. The imperfection of an social order is measured with the quantity of situations of this kind which it locks up. But even in this case there is crime if the abandoned obligation is not only abandoned in fact, but moreover is denied. ” the rooting (1949). Be a prelude to with a declaration of the duties towards the human being.

• “ the capitalist mode consists of what the relationship between the worker and the means of work change: the worker, instead of dominating them, is dominated by them. " The Capital and the workman (1932)

Works

• 1934 - Reflections on the causes of freedom and social oppression , coll Ideas, Paris, Gallimard, 1955.

• 1947 - Gravity and the Grace , foreword of Gustave Thibon, Paris, Plon.
• 1949 - the Rooting . “Prelude to a declaration of the duties towards the human being”, Paris, Gallimard; Coll Ideas, Paris, Gallimard, 1968.
• 1949 - Waiting of God , introduction of Joseph-Marie Perrin, O.P. Paris, the Dove, ED. of the Old Dovecote; Paris, Beech, 1966.
• 1950 - supernatural Knowledge , coll Hope, Paris, Gallimard.
• 1951 - Intuitions pre-Christian women , Paris, the Dove, ED. Old man-Dovecote, 1951.
• 1951 - Books, I, coll the Ear, Paris, Plon, 1951; new ED. increased review and, 1970.
• 1951 - Letter in a monk , coll Hope, Paris, Gallimard 1951; Coll “Delivers Life”, Paris, ED. threshold, 1974.
• 1951 - the working Condition , foreword of Albertine Thévenon, coll Hope, Paris, Gallimard, 1951; Coll Ideas, Paris, Gallimard, 1972.
• 1953 - the Greek Source , Paris, Gallimard.
• 1953 - Books, II, coll the Ear, Paris, Plon, 1953; new ED. increased review and, 1972.
• 1955 - Oppression and freedom , coll Hope, Paris, Gallimard, 1955.
• 1955 - Venice saved , Gallimard.
• 1956 - Books, III, coll the Ear, Paris, Plon, 1956; new ED. increased review and, 1974.
• 1957 - Written of London and last letters , coll Hope, Paris, Gallimard.
• 1959 - Lessons of philosophy (Roanne 1933-1934), transcribed and presented by Anne Reynaud-Guérithault, Paris, Plon 1959; Coll 10/18, Paris, UGD, 1970.
• 1960 - Written historical and political , coll Hope, Paris, Gallimard, 1960.
• 1962 - Thought without order concerning the love of god , Paris, Gallimard.
• 1966 - On science , Paris, Gallimard.
• 1988 - complete Works , Paris, Gallimard. Volume 1: First philosophical writings, Volume 2: Historical and political writings.
• 2006, Note on the general suppression of the political parties , Paris, Climates.

See too

Related articles

• participating Observation

External bonds

• a presentation of the philosophy of Simone Weil by François Yvonnet * An article on the faith of Simone Weil by Martin Steffens * An article of Jacques Dufresne * Texts of Simone Weil to be downloaded * Letter of Simone Weil in Déodat Rock