The Asceticism of Work: Simone Weil
Publication Type |
Book Chapter |
Year of Publication |
2004 |
Author |
|
Book |
The Ascetic Self : Subjectivity, Memory, and Tradition |
Pages |
37-63 |
Publisher |
Cambridge University Press |
Place Published |
New York |
Language |
English |
Chapter |
2 |
Keywords |
asceticism |
Annotation |
This essay is part of a larger work that looks at the self in ascetic practice. It begins with a brief overview of Weil’s life and central themes in her work. It next turns to look at what Flood calls the ‘asceticism of work’ in Weil’s thought. Flood presents an in-depth discussion of Weil’s concept of work drawing on a wide range of her writing. He then looks at the ideas of time and necessity in relation to the self, subjectivity and this asceticism of work. He goes on to look at Weil’s theological notion of ‘waiting for God’, connecting the discussion of work, the ascetic self and Weil’s theology to her writing on compassion and renunciation. The final part of the essays centres on Weil’s complex and contradictory ideas about the self both in terms of the self and its relation to the ‘other’ as well as to community and tradition. |