Books by Simone Weil

Simone Weil, the French philosopher, political activist, and religious mystic, was little known when she died in 1943. The aphorisms in this book reflect the religious philosophy of Weil's last years. This book shows why critics have called Weil "a great soul who might have become a saint" and "the outsider as saint, in an age of alienation".

'There are certain words which possess, in themselves, when properly used, a virtue which illumines and lifts up towards the good'The philosopher and activist Simone Weil was one of the most courageous thinkers of the twentieth century. Here she writes, with honesty and moral clarity, about the manipulation of language by the powerful, the obligations of individuals to one another and the needs - for order, equality, liberty and truth - that make us human.One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.

Simone Weil (1909-1943) est engagée dès 1927 dans le syndicalisme révolutionnaire. Elle participe activement aux mouvements ouvriers européens des années 1934-1935, soutient le Front populaire en France, milite contre la guerre d'Espagne, et entre en Résistance dès l'Occupation. A sa mort, en Grande-Bretagne, elle laisse une masse d'écrits considérable et quelques documents inédits dont sa Note sur la suppression générale des partis politiques. Dans ce court texte la philosophe et militante politique dénonce le cynisme du système partisan, à l'origine de la débâcle des démocraties européennes en 1939-40. Elle propose de supprimer les partis politiques pour les remplacer par des rassemblements d'idées basés sur une participation démocratique des citoyens. Un texte résolument visionnaire, très actuel et indispensable pour décrypter les enjeux contemporains de la représentation démocratique.

Texte intégral. Cet ouvrage a fait l'objet d'un véritable travail en vue d'une édition numérique. Un travail typographique le rend facile et agréable à lire.On retrouve ici, à travers les notes recueillies par une de ses élèves, ce que furent ces leçons, véritables entretiens socratiques où l'on reconnaît l'unité profonde de l'auteur dont la vie brève fut intensément consacrée à la recherche de la vérité. En 1933-1934, Simone Weil était professeur à Roanne. Dans un petit pavillon isolé au fond d'un parc, sur l'herbe ou sous la neige, elle enseigna alors la philosophie à quelques élèves. On découvrira ici, à travers les notes recueillies par une de ces jeunes filles, ce que furent ces leçons, véritables entretiens socratiques. Le lecteur y reconnaîtra l'unité profonde de Simone Weil dont la vie brève fut intensément consacrée à la recherche de la vérité [texte de présentation de l'édition Plon de 1989]

La montée du nazisme et les horreurs du régime véhiculé par Adolf Hitler avaient-ils des antécédents dans l'histoire ? De qui s'est-il inspiré ? Dans quelle mesure, par exemple, la Rome antique fut-elle un modèle pour le Führer ? Simone Weil soumet plusieurs pistes de réflexions qui visent à percevoir ici un ensemble de mécanismes dont elle souligne les enchevêtrements, la complexité, mettant in fine à jour les racines de la folie hitlérienne. Son exposé se compose de trois grandes parties : Permanence et changements des caractères nationaux ; Hitler et la politique extérieure de la Rome antique ; Hitler et le régime intérieur de l'empire romain.

Simone Weil, the great mystic and philosopher for our age, shows where anyone can find God.Why is it that Simone Weil, with her short, troubled life and confounding insights into faith and doubt, continues to speak to today's spiritual seekers? Was it her social radicalism, which led her to renounce privilege? Her ambivalence toward institutional religion? Her combination of philosophical rigor with the ardor of a mystic?Albert Camus called Simone Weil "e;the only great spirit of our time."e; Andre Gide found her "e;the most truly spiritual writer of this century."e; Her intense life and profound writings have influenced people as diverse as T. S. Eliot, Charles De Gaulle, Pope Paul VI, and Adrienne Rich.The body of work she left-most of it published posthumously-is the fruit of an anguished but ultimately luminous spiritual journey.After her untimely death at age thirty-four, Simone Weil quickly achieved legendary status among a whole generation of thinkers. Her radical idealism offered a corrective to consumer culture. But more importantly, she pointed the way, especially for those outside institutional religion, to encounter the love of God - in love to neighbor, love of beauty, and even in suffering.

Appearing here in English for the first time, this play explores Weil's thoughts on tragedy. A figure of affliction, a central theme in Weil's religious metaphysics, the central character offers a unique insight into Weil's broader philosophical interest in truth and justice, and provides a fresh perspective on the wider conception of tragedy itself. Depicing a plot by a group of Spanish mercenaries to sack Venice in 1618, and the action of the play shows how it fails when one conspirator, Jaffier, betrays them to the Venetian authorities. The edition includes notes on the play and introductory material on the life of Weil, the genesis of the play and Weil and the tragic, opening up an area of interest and research: the literary Weil.

"Historical, political, and moral writings"--Cover.

Introducing the Selected Works of Simone Weil

Introducing the Selected Works of Simone Weil

Although trained as a philosopher, Simone Weil (1909-43) contributed to a wide range of subjects, resulting in a rich field of interdisciplinary Weil studies. Yet those coming to her work from such disciplines as sociology, history, political science, religious studies, French studies, and women's studies are often ignorant of or baffled by her philosophical investigations. In Simone Weil: Late Philosophical Writings, Eric O. Springsted presents a unique collection of Weil's writings, one concentrating on her explicitly philosophical thinking. The essays are drawn chiefly from the time Weil spent in Marseille in 1940-42, as well as one written from London; most have been out of print for some time; three appear for the first time; all are newly translated. Beyond making important texts available, this selection provides the context for understanding Weil's thought as a whole. This volume is important not only for those with a general interest in Weil; it also specifically presents Weil as a philosopher, chiefly one interested in questions of the nature of value, moral thought, and the relation of faith and reason. What also appears through this judicious selection is an important confirmation that on many issues respecting the nature of philosophy, Weil, Wittgenstein, and Kierkegaard shared a great deal.

An NYRB Classics Original Simone Weil-philosopher, activist, mystic-is one of the most uncompromising of modern spiritual masters. In "On the Abolition of All Political Parties" she challenges the foundation of the modern liberal political order, making an argument that has particular resonance today, when the apathy and anger of the people and the self-serving partisanship of the political class present a threat to democracies all over the world. Dissecting the dynamic of power and propaganda caused by party spirit, the increasing disregard for truth in favor of opinion, and the consequent corruption of education, journalism, and art, Weil forcefully makes the case that a true politics can only begin where party spirit ends. This volume also includes an admiring portrait of Weil by the great poet Czeslaw Milosz and an essay about Weil's friendship with Albert Camus by the translator Simon Leys.

Although primarily known as a religious thinker, Weil devoted enormous energy in her formative years to her work as a political activist and as a philosopher/teacher. This book reveals these other sides of Weil and demonstrates the lines of continuity underlying her whole thought.

A letter written by Simone Weil to a French priest in New York, in which she raises fundamental and highly controversial concerns on matters of Catholic faith, dogma and institutions.

In this, her most famous book, Weil reflects on the importance of religious and political social structures in the life of the individual.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the first English edition, this Routledge Classics edition offers the English reader the complete text of this landmark work for the first time ever.

In this remarkable work, Weil analyses the causes of oppression, its mechanisms and forms, and questions revolutionary responses while presenting a prophetic view of a way forward.

Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a defining figure of the 20th century - a philosopher, Christian, resistance fighter, anarchist, feminist, Labour activist and teacher. She was described by T.S. Eliot as "a woman of genius, of a kind of genius akin to that of the saints". These are her notebooks.