Ideas of Simone Weil, by Theme

[French, 1909 - 1943, Born in Paris. Taught by Alain. Died at Ashford, Kent, in England.]

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1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 2. Ancient Philosophy / c. Classical philosophy
23889 Among the Greeks Aristotle is the only philosopher in the modern style
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 3. Philosophy Defined
23881 All thought about values is philosophical, and thought about anything else is not philosophy
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / b. Philosophy as transcendent
23885 Philosophy aims to change the soul, not to accumulate knowledge
1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 3. Metaphysical Systems
23886 Systems are not unique to each philosopher. The platonist tradition is old and continuous
3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 1. Truth
23884 Truth is a value of thought
3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 3. Value of Truth
23755 Genius and love of truth are always accompanied by great humility
23825 We seek truth only because it is good
23853 Truth is not a object we love - it is the radiant manifestation of reality
23877 Most people won't question an idea's truth if they depend on it
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 1. Grounding / a. Nature of grounding
23855 Creation produced a network or web of determinations
10. Modality / B. Possibility / 7. Chance
23900 Chance is compatible with necessity, and the two occur together
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 7. Knowledge First
23888 Knowledge is beyond question, as an unavoidable component of thinking
16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 7. Self and Body / a. Self needs body
23747 What is sacred is not a person, but the whole physical human being
18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 1. Thought
23756 The mind is imprisoned and limited by language, restricting our awareness of wider thoughts
20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / d. Weakness of will
23878 Weakness of will is the inadequacy of the original impetus to carry through the action
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 4. Beauty
23832 We both desire what is beautiful, and want it to remain as it is
23899 The secret of art is that beauty is a just blend of unity and its opposite
23848 The aesthete's treatment of beauty as amusement is sacreligious; beauty should nourish
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 6. The Sublime
23758 Beauty is an attractive mystery, leaving nothing to be desired
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 1. Defining Art
23887 Art (like philosophy) establishes a relation between world and self, and between oneself and others
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 1. Artistic Intentions
23903 When we admire a work, we see ourselves as its creator
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 7. Art and Morality
23898 Those who say immorality is not an aesthetic criterion must show that all criteria are aesthetic
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / a. Idealistic ethics
23854 Beauty is the proof of what is good
23814 Every human yearns for an unattainable transcendent good
23826 Beauty, goodness and truth are only achieved by applying full attention
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature
23824 Where human needs are satisfied we find happiness, friendship and beauty
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / j. Ethics by convention
23879 In a violent moral disagreement, it can't be that both sides are just following social morality
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 1. Nature of Value / e. Means and ends
23882 Ends, unlike means, cannot be defined, which is why people tend to pursue means
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 1. Nature of Value / f. Ultimate value
23760 All we need are the unity of justice, truth and beauty
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / a. Normativity
23883 Minds essentially and always strive towards value
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / c. Life
23748 The sacred in every human is their expectation of good rather than evil
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / g. Love
23759 Everything which originates in love is beautiful
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / j. Evil
23762 Evil is transmitted by comforts and pleasures, but mostly by doing harm to people
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / a. Form of the Good
23833 The good is a nothingness, and yet real
23808 There are two goods - the absolute good we want, and the reachable opposite of evil
23. Ethics / A. Egoism / 1. Ethical Egoism
23865 Morality would improve if people could pursue private interests
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / e. Character
23894 The concept of character is at the centre of morality
23896 We see our character as a restricting limit, but also as an unshakable support
23893 We don't see character in a single moment, but only over a period of time
23895 We modify our character by placing ourselves in situations, or by attending to what seems trivial
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / h. Respect
23837 Respect is our only obligation, which can only be expressed through deeds, not words
23815 We cannot equally respect what is unequal, so equal respect needs a shared ground
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / d. Friendship
23834 Friendship is partly universal - the love of a person is like the ideal of loving everyone
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 4. Boredom
23823 Life needs risks to avoid sickly boredom
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / b. The natural life
23844 The most important human need is to have multiple roots
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / c. A unified people
23838 The need for order stands above all others, and is understood via the other needs
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 3. Natural Values / c. Natural rights
23836 Obligations only bind individuals, not collectives
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 4. Citizenship
23840 A citizen should be able to understand the whole of society
23822 We all need to partipate in public tasks, and take some initiative
23843 Even the poorest should feel collective ownership, and participation in grand display
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 5. Culture
23846 Culture is an instrument for creating an ongoing succession of teachers
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 1. Social Power
23857 People in power always try to increase their power
23866 In oppressive societies the scope of actual control is extended by a religion of power
23812 Force is what turns man into a thing, and ultimately into a corpse
23831 The essence of power is illusory prestige
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / b. Monarchy
23839 A lifelong head of society should only be a symbol, not a ruler
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 4. Changing the State / a. Centralisation
23871 No central authority can initiate decentralisation
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 4. Changing the State / c. Revolution
23856 Spontaneous movements are powerless against organised repression
23867 After a bloody revolution the group which already had the power comes to the fore
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 1. Ideology
23830 A group is only dangerous if it endorses an abstract entity
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 2. Anarchism
23870 Decentralisation is only possible by co-operation between strong and weak - which is absurd
23809 Our only social duty is to try to limit evil
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 3. Conservatism
23829 National leaders want to preserve necessary order - but always the existing order
23817 We need both equality (to attend to human needs) and hierarchy (as a scale of responsibilities)
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / f. Against democracy
23842 Party politics in a democracy can't avoid an anti-democratic party
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / a. Liberalism basics
23859 True democracy is the subordination of society to the individual
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / b. Liberal individualism
23863 Only individual people of good will can achieve social progress
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / d. Liberal freedom
23869 In the least evil societies people can think, control community life, and be autonomous
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 8. Socialism
23847 Socialism tends to make a proletariat of the whole population
23750 It is not more money which the wretched members of society need
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 9. Communism
23749 The problem of the collective is not suppression of persons, but persons erasing themselves
23807 The collective is the one and only object of false idolatry
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 11. Capitalism
23861 Marx showed that capitalist oppression, because of competition, is unstoppable
23897 Once money is the main aim, society needs everyone to think wealth is possible
23845 The capitalists neglect the people and the nation, and even their own interests
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 14. Nationalism
23828 National prestige consists of behaving as if you could beat the others in a war
23810 Charity is the only love, and you can feel that for a country (a place with traditions), but not a nation
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 1. Slavery
23868 The pleasure of completing tasks motivates just as well as the whip of slavery
23811 If effort is from necessity rather than for a good, it is slavery
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 3. Free speech
23819 Deliberate public lying should be punished
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 6. Political freedom
23818 We have liberty in the space between nature and accepted authority
25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 1. Grounds of equality
23901 Relationships depend on equality, so unequal treatment kills them
23753 People absurdly claim an equal share of things which are essentially privileged
23841 By making money the sole human measure, inequality has become universal
25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 4. Economic equality
23864 Inequality could easily be mitigated, if it were not for the struggle for power
25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 1. Basis of Rights
23751 Rights are asserted contentiously, and need the backing of force
23752 Giving centrality to rights stifles all impulses of charity
23835 People have duties, and only have rights because of the obligations of others to them
25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 4. Property rights
23820 People need personal and collective property, and a social class lacking property is shameful
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 1. Basis of justice
23813 Only people who understand force, and don't respect it, are capable of justice
23757 The spirit of justice needs the full attention of truth, and that attention is love
23761 Justice (concerning harm) is distinct from rights (concerning inequality)
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 3. Punishment / a. Right to punish
23852 To punish people we must ourselves be innocent - but that undermines the desire to punish
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 3. Punishment / d. Reform of offenders
23821 Crime should be punished, to bring the perpetrator freely back to morality
23763 Punishment aims at the good for men who don't desire it
23764 The only thing in society worse than crime is repressive justice
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / a. Just wars
23827 Modern wars are fought in the name of empty words which are given capital letters
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / b. Justice in war
23880 When war was a profession, customary morality justified any act of war
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / d. Non-combatants
23850 The soldier-civilian distinction should be abolished; every citizen is committed to a war
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / e. Peace
23858 War is perpetuated by its continual preparations
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / a. Aims of education
23851 Education is essentially motivation
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / d. Study of history
23873 Dividing history books into separate chapters is disastrous
25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 4. Suicide
23860 Even if a drowning man is doomed, he should keep swimming to the last
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / c. God is the good
23816 Attention to a transcendent reality motivates a duty to foster the good of humanity
23754 The only choice is between supernatural good, or evil
28. God / B. Proving God / 3. Proofs of Evidence / b. Teleological Proof
23892 The only legitimate proof of God by order derives from beauty
29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 5. Bible
23904 The cruelty of the Old Testament put me off Christianity
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / a. Religious Belief
23849 Religion should quietly suffuse all human life with its light
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / a. Immortality
23902 I attach little importance to immortality, which is an undecidable fact, and irrelevant to us
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / b. Soul
23765 The soul is the intrinsic value of a human