The Void: Simone Weil’s Naming of Evil
Publication Type |
Book Chapter |
Year of Publication |
2007 |
Author |
|
Editor |
Vroom, Hendrik M. |
Book |
Wrestling with God and with Evil |
Series Volume |
31 |
Pages |
25-41 |
Publisher |
Rodopi |
Place Published |
Amsterdam |
Language |
English |
Series Title |
Currents of Encounter : Studies on the Contact Between Christianity and Other Religions, Beliefs and Cultures |
Keywords |
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Annotation |
This essay presents a number of central issues in Weil’s thought. It begins with a discussion of Weil’s postulation of God’s withdrawal and subsequent absence in creation, something that gives rise to a desire that cannot be satisfied by anything existing in the world. McCullough goes on to say that according to Weil, acceptance of this limitation or lack creates a void; one that must be accepted through a personal act of decreation, the voluntary submission to the destruction of the ego or self. Finally, McCullough says, for Weil, this act of self-abnegation allows, the individual to enter this void where it can embrace a love for true reality. |