The Routledge Companion to Simone Weil by Casewell, Deborah; Thomas, Christopher;

Short description:

The remarkable life and work of Simone Weil has fascinated scholars from many disciplines, with Camus calling her the 'only great spirit of our times'. This book is invaluable resource for anyone studying Weil's thought, whether in philosophy and religious studies or related disciplines such as political theory, literature or Jewish studies.

Long description:

The remarkable life and work of the French philosopher and activist Simone Weil has fascinated scholars from many disciplines, with no less than Albert Camus calling her the "only great spirit of our times". Although contemporaneous with the rise of existentialism and educated alongside contemporaries such as Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the creative and restless nature of Weil's thought set her apart. Equally adept at thinking across politics, philosophy, theology, ethics, literature, and science, Weil stands distinct in the canon of twentieth-century Western thought as a highly unique and controversial figure.

The Routledge Companion to Simone Weil is an outstanding survey of her thought. Thirty-seven chapters by an international team of expert contributors are divided into six clear parts:

• Contextualising Weil


• Philosophical Sources


• Key Concepts


• Politics and Society


• Interactions with Religion


• Conversations.

Within these sections key thinkers and topics central to Weil’s philosophy are addressed, including Plato, Kant, Marx, God, attention, love, beauty, labour and work, the body, slavery, rootedness, colonialism, fascism, Catholicism, Judaism, Indic thought, phenomenology, existentialism, feminism, literature, and many more.

The Routledge Companion to Simone Weil is an invaluable resource for anyone studying or researching Weil's thought, whether in philosophy and religious studies or related disciplines such as political theory, French literature, and Jewish studies.

Table of Contents:

Notes on Contributors  Acknowledgements  Abbreviations  Introduction: Simone Weil for our Times? Deborah Casewell and Christopher Thomas  Part 1: Contextualising Weil  1. Historical Context Christine Ann Evans  2. Biography Palle Yourgrau  3. Key Texts and Reception History Eric O. Springsted  4. Mystic, Activist, and Philosopher Deborah Casewell  Part 2: Philosophical Sources  5. Plato Vance Morgan  6. Stoicism Warren Heiti  7. Kant Tully Rector  8. Alain (Émile Chartier) Simone Kotva  9. Marx Lawrence Blum  10. The Bhagavad-Gītā Nicolas Bommarito  Part 3: Key Concepts  11. Necessity and Force Philip Goodchild  12. Beauty Christopher Thomas  13. Decreation Robert Reed  14. Attention Kathryn Lawson  15. Love Stuart Jesson  16. Affliction Eva Maria Düringer  17. God Maria Clara Bingemer  18. Labor and Work Inese Radzins  19. Metaxu Emmanuel Gabielleri (trans. Mark Sinclair, ed. Deborah Casewell)  20. The Body Cynthia R. Wallace  Part 4: Politics and Society  21. Slavery Vincent Lloyd and Nathaniel Grimes  22. Rootedness Anna Rowlands  23. Justice, Human Rights and Obligations Christopher Hamilton  24. Colonialism, Anti-Fascism, and Force’s Many Faces Scott Ritner  Part 5: Interactions with Religion  25. Catholicism Marie Cabaud Meaney  26. Judaism Anat Pick  27. Indic Thought Nicolas Bommarito  28. Asceticism Gavin Flood  Part 6: Conversations  29. Weil and the Existentialists Deborah Casewell  30. Weil and Moral Philosophy Sylvia Caprioglio Panizza  31. Weil and Political Philosophy Kenneth Novis  32. Weil and Phenomenology Lissa McCullough  33. Weil and Literature Hugh Roberts  34. Weil and the Search for Truth Philip Wilson  35. Weil and Feminist Thought Sophie Bourgault  36. Weil and the Creative Arts Daisy LaFarge  37. Weil and Contemporary Concerns Victor Seidler  Afterword: Simone Weil’s Path of Exile Benjamin P. Davis.  Index