Simone Weil and the Specter of Self-Perpetuating Force

E. Jane Doering

ISBN 10: 0268026041 / ISBN 13: 9780268026042

Published by University of Notre Dame Press, 2010

About this Item

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. This title examines the material in Weil's notebooks and essays to illuminate her evolving thought on violence, war, and injustice. Num Pages: 272 pages. BIC Classification: HPCF. Category: (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly. Dimension: 226 x 150 x 23. Weight in Grams: 448. . 2010. 1st Edition. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780268026042

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Simone Weil and the Specter of Self-Perpetuating Force
• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0268026041
• ISBN 13: 9780268026042
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

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.

About the Author

E. Jane Doering is a professor and the executive coordinator of the Teachers as Scholars Program in the College of Arts and Letters, University of Notre Dame. She is the co-editor of The Christian Platonism of Simone Weil (University of Notre Dame Press, 2004).