One Moment of Pure Attention is Worth all the Good Works in the World

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

1998

Author

Andic, Martin

Journal

Cahiers Simone Weil

Volume

21

Number

4

Language

English

section

347-368

Keywords

action
attention
truth

Annotation

This article is an in-depth exploration of Weil’s notions of attention and its relationship to ‘works’. Andic begins by noting Weil’s careful delineation between ‘attention’ and ‘attending’. He moves on to examine the role of attention in Weil’s pursuit of truth, followed by a consideration of a number of questions in relation to the nature of attention; is it passive or active? positive or negative? creative or decreative? The essay concludes with a brief exploration of the value of attention at the moment of death, especially in comparison to the value of ‘good works’.