Elan et Force : Phénoménologie de la Violence Historique chez Simone Weil
Publication Type |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication |
2003 |
Author |
|
Journal |
Cahiers Simone Weil |
Volume |
26 |
Number |
3 |
Pages |
281-320 |
Language |
French |
Keywords |
'the good' |
Annotation |
This article provides a carefully nuanced, detailed discussion and analysis of Simone Weil’s thoughts on the relationship between power, violence and the ‘spirit’ both within the individual and as manifest in collective human behavior. The author begins with Weil’s reflections on her decision, against her own avowed pacifism, to take an active part in the Spanish civil war and her experiences in so doing, moving on to present her views on the role of force in history, the development of her ideas about ‘necessity’ and ‘the Good’, her critique of collective ideologies including fascism, Marxism and the belief in the evolutionary progress of the human race. This discussion includes a consideration of Weil’s notion of decreation and its importance for her in providing a response to what she sees is the inevitable and inexorable operation of force of in human history. The author concludes by arguing for the continuing value of Weil’s thought and a defense against its interpretation as a conservative valorization of the past or its reduction to some form of Manicheistic dualism. |