Mathematics and Supernatural Friendship.

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2006

Author

Morgan, Vance G.

Journal

Philosophy and Theology

Volume

18

Number

2

Pages

319-335

Language

English

Keywords

Aristotle
equality
friendship
love
mathematics
Plato
Pythagoras

Annotation

Morgan investigates Weil's idea of friendship. He says: "I hope to show that Weil considered friendship not only to be miraculous, but also to be key to understanding the relationship of the divine to the human" (p. 320). He begins by examining Weil's critique of Aristotle's notion of friendship only being possible between equals, contrasting it to Weil's argument that friendship itself creates equality. He goes on to explore how Weil's reading of early Greek mathematical theory, especially Platonic and Pythagorean, shaped her notion of friendship. Morgan concludes with a brief exploration of two of the three forms of friendship Weil discusses in her "Forms of the Implicit Love of God": the relationship between God and humans and the relationship between humans.