The Two Simones
Publication Type |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication |
2000 |
Author |
|
Journal |
Ratio: An International Journal of Analytic Philosophy |
Volume |
13 |
Number |
3 |
Pages |
201-212 |
Language |
English |
Publish Dates |
September 3 |
Keywords |
creation |
Annotation |
The philosophical ideas of Simone Weil and Simone de Beauvoir about the ‘void’ in the human condition and how it might be addressed are presented and discussed. Weil’s work is briefly compared to that of Leibnitz and in more depth, to Kierkegaard’s in relation to creation and the role and use of the intellect in encounters with the divine. The ideas of detachment and the void as found in Weil’s work, Gravity and Grace are discussed in relation to such encounters. Beauvoir’s discussion of time, memory and imagination in her work Old Age are contrasted to Weil’s views, especially those found in her writing on factory work. The understanding of and beliefs about the importance of work for human development in the writing of the two women are considered through a focus on the different directions in which the two women take these ideas. |