Simone Weil: On Politics, Religion and Society

This book provides a unique presentation of Simone WeilÆs life, work, and her contributions to feminist thought. Long before postmodern or deconstructionist ideas became current, Weil was concerned with recognizing the absence of consistency and the continual presence of reversals and contradictions in life. The struggle to clarify her "reading" of reality and her perceptions of meaning was an ongoing one and she challenged contemporary views on complex issues such as human nature, good and evil, divinity, and truth. In this introduction to Simone WeilÆs ideas, and the political and intellectual circumstances of her work, the authors make WeilÆs complex and at times elusive ideas accessible to readers. They offer their own interpretation of her work and delineate how WeilÆs ideas evolved, while providing compelling excerpts from WeilÆs writings to let her speak for herself. Her work offers a voice for those segments of society that are generally underrepresented, misrepresented, or totally silent in conventional historical and philosophical writings. Simone Weil will be valuable reading for students and academics involved in womenÆs studies, philosophy, psychology, political and social theory, and for anyone with an interest in the life and work of this passionate individual.