Simone Weil and the Specter of Self-Perpetuating Force

by E. Jane Doering

Simone Weil's philosophical and social thought during her short life (1909-1943) was intimately engaged with the nature of power and force, both human and natural, and the problems inherent in the use of force. Weil argued vehemently for pacifism, then moved toward a guarded acceptance of the use of force under very specific circumstances, in the context of the rise of Nazism. Ultimately she came to a nuanced and unique perspective on force and on the preservation of human dignity, in the aftermath of several profound mystical experiences during the last years of her life. E. Jane Doering carefully examines and analyzes the material in Weil's notebooks and lesser-known essays to illuminate her evolving thought on violence, war, and injustice. In addition, Doering addresses Weil's engagement with the Bhagavad Gita during her final years, a text that reoriented and enlightened Weil's activist and intellectual search for moral value in a violent world. Apart from small excerpts, none of the four volumes of Weil's notebooks, only recently published in French, have been translated into English. Simone Weil and the Specter of Self-Perpetuating Force contains Doering's expert translations of numerous notebook entries. The book will interest Weil scholars, those in French studies, and those who explore interdisciplinary topics in philosophy, religious studies, history, and political science.

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Santiago Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simone Weil was a profound philosopher of her times (1930s-WWII). Growing up intellectualy in a time of great violence she focused much of her work on the need to counterbalance and overcome the use of force. Use of force is a natural part of our world akin to gravity, but there is a force of good that fights gravity and is the gift of the divine.

I had read some books that are notes from Weil's work. She died in her thirties exhausted from her physical condition and her mental energies spent. There is great power in many of her thoughts but they can be hard to grasp since much of the work was not in published form.

Doering's book is a great guide into exploring Weil's profound and helpful insights into our world. The way use of force corrupts those in power and it's victims. The frustration sometimes reading this book when force is still abused to this day is how to spread the word and effectuate a better world. Doering beautifully ends the work with a letter from Weil to her mother 5 weeks before her death. She is not afraid that all of her work will go to waste and be lost because she knows the mine of gold in her heart is also present in all others.