Weil, Simone
Weil, Simone (1909–43). Religious philosopher of intense personal commitment. Born into a non-practising Jewish family, she taught in various French schools between 1931 and 1937, while at the same time being politically active on behalf of the humiliated—all whom she identified as exploited, such as factory-workers, peasants, and the colonized, or, historically, the Provençal Cathars. In 1934–5 she worked in a factory, and in 1936 worked in the front line in the Spanish Civil War as a cook. Out of these experiences came her early appeals, not simply for greater justice in the distribution of power in relation to work, but for the transformation of the process of work in the direction of its humanization. In 1942, she left France to join the Free French in England. Here she became deeply and dialectically involved in Catholic Christianity. She was never baptized (for that reason she has been called ‘a Saint outside the Church’) and remained fiercely critical of the hierarchical organization of Christianity.
In all religions (and outside them) the awareness of God is possible and has left its mark. The mark of truth is goodness.
In all religions (and outside them) the awareness of God is possible and has left its mark. The mark of truth is goodness.
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Weil, Simone